BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

•o- 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


No.  23 


BEADLE'S  FRONTIER  SERIES. 


(Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America)] 


Slastaway,  the  Fearless? 

*c 

OR, 

The  Hermit  of  Spectre  Isle 


BT 

J.  MILTON,  HOFFMAN 

The  Fearless  Ranger,"  "Button  Hole  Jack,"  "CaEfr 
amity  Joe,"  "Mournful  Mose,"  "Gunpowder  Jim,"  etc.,  etc,J  J 


{908,  by  James 
All  Rights  Reserved* 


Published  by 

THE  ARTHUR  WESTBROOK  COMPANY 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  U.  S.  A. 


Slashaway,  the  Fearless, 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  -i-OUNG   MAN   FROM  NEW  YORK. 

tl  AN  odd  chap,  you  are,  and  no  mistake.  What  is 
your  name  ?'; 

"  Slash  a  way,  the  Fearless.  Sometimes  they  call 
me  Saul.''; 

"They?     Who?" 

"The  redskins — the  palefaces — everybody.  Saul 
Slaehaway.  Is  thur  anythiu'  wrong  about  the  name  ?>; 

"  I  believe  not/' 

But  as  the  young1  man  said  this,  he  shuddered,  an 
ashy  paleness  overspread  his  face,  and  he  took  a  step 
backward,  while  his  hot  breath  panted  the  stranger's 
name. 

"  Retreating,  are  you  !"  exclaimed  Slashaway,  with 
a  hoarse,  mad  laugh.  "A  fine  way  to  break  company 
with  a  friend.  Suppose  you  come  back." 

An  influence  such  as  he  had  never  before  experi- 
enced prompted  the  young  man  to  retrace  his  steps. 

"  Well,  what  can   I  do  for  you  now  ?"  he  asked, 


JO  SLASH  AWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

trying1  to  appear  unconcerned.     "  Do  yoa  want  me  to 
tell  you  who  I  am  fr 

The  angry  look  went  out  of  the  old  man's  eyes,  and 
bringing  his  rifle  to  the  ground,  lie  answered  quickly: 
"  I  do  j  IM  give  the  world  to  know  your  history, 
for  it  must  be  mighty  strange — mighty  strange. 
Where  do  you  live  ?  Who  are  you?  What  is  your 
name?" 

The  old  man  took  a  step  forward.     His  eyes  be<ran 
to   grow  in    size,  and    an   ugly  expression,  amounting 
almost  to  ferocity,  gathered  around  his  mouth. 
The  young  man  trembled. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?"  lie  said,  in  a  voice  anything 
but  steady.     "  Shall  I  tell  you  my  name?" 
li  Yes,  your  name,- your  name." 
"  My  name  is  Hale — Edward   Hale,"  was  the  quick 
reply.     "  Anything  more  ?v 

i;  How  came  you  on  the  plains?  You  wasn'c  born 
kere — not  here,  at  least.  1  reckon  not.  You  don't 
look  much  like  a  hunter — a  cussed  sight  too  green. 
A  city  swell,  ain't  ye  f ' 

The  young  man  answered  without  hesitation.  Ha 
was  gaining  in  confidence. 

"I  have  always  lived  in  the  city  "  he  said,  "and 
am  now  having  my  first  experience  on  the  plains.  1 
am  an  artist  by  occupation,  and  drifted  westward  ia 
the  interest  of  my  trade."  I 

"But  how  came  you  here,  right,  here,  and  alone V* 
The  old  hunters  eyes  were  looking  the  young  man 
through  and  through. 

"  Let.  me  explain,"  said  the  latter,  in  as  firm  a  voico 
as  he  could  command.  "  I  reached  the  settlement 
nfty  miles  or  so  east  ot  here  about  five  days  ago.  1 
*tayed  there  three  days.  Then  I  fell  in  with  a  man 
who  called  .himself'  Jasper  Ellis.  He  was  a  trapper, 
tee  said,  and  lived  up  here  somewhere — lived  in  a 
cave.  He  persuaded  me  to  accompany  him  home, 
and  we  started.  We  were  both  well  mounted.  My 
companion  was  very  agreeable.  I  snspicioned  nothing. 
"  Well,  nothing  went  aarts.  until  .about  four 


8LASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  U 

wb en  some  six  or  eight  horrible  looking  men, 
1  should  say,  suddenly  swept  down  upon  us, 
end  before  I  could  hardly  realize  it,  my  horse  was 
iaken  away  from  me,  my  watch  and  money  stolen, 
and  the  outlaws  were  gone.  What  became  of  my 
companion?  The  robbers  carried  him  off,  of  C3urse. 
I  didn't  know  it  then,  but  I  know  it  now — he  was 
one  of  them,  the  biggest  rascal  of  the  crowd." 

"And  he  called  himself  what t"  questioned  Slash* 
away,  half  sneeringly. 

"  Jasper  Ellis,"  was  the  quick  reply,  <*  but  the  out- 
laws called  him  Sandy  Jim." 

Slashaway,  the  Fearless,  broke  into  a  bitter  laugh. 

"  Sandy  Jim,"  he  repeated,  like  a  man  handling 
something  carefully.  '•'  Sandy  Jim,  the  man  with 
»cly  one  eye.  Everybody  meets  him  now-a-days— 
•verybody  but  me;  and  what  wouldn't  I  give  to  meet 
iiim  face  to  face.  It's  mighty  strange  he  never  stops 
me  on  the  road.  Has  he  read  my  thoughts  ?  Is  he 
«fra1d  of  met  Sandy  Jim,  the  outlaw.  May  the 
curses  of  Saul  Slashaway  be  upon  him  !" 

The  hunter  shouldered  his  rifle,  and,  muttering  to 
Limself,  moved  slowly  away.  Suddenly  he  stopped, 
turned,  and  beckoned  young  Edward  Hale  to  his  side. 
A  moment  he  glanced  savagely  around  him,  then  he 
gathered  his  breath,  and  hissed  like  an  adder  : 

"  You  do  not  know  Sandy  Jim  ;  I  do;  that  is  the 
difference.  Sandy  Jim  is  a  murderer,  almost  a  devil. 
Should  you  meet  him  again,  shoot  him  down;  trample 
on  him  as  you  would  trample  a  snake ;  cut  his  heart 
out;  kill  him  by  inches,  foul,  miserable  devil  that  be 
is.  Let  me  tell  you  something.  If  you  do  not  hill 
Sandy  Jim,  1'tt  Ml  you." 

"  Heavens  !  you  do  not  mean  it." 

Slashaway,  the  Fearless,  laughed  the  laugh  of  a 
teaniac— -it  was  almost  a  shriek. 

His  eyes  glittered  as  he  continued  : 

"  You  must  kill  Sandy  Jim,  or  die  yourself.  Here, 
this  rifle,  take  it,  and  do  your  work.  I  meant  to  shoot 
Jou  wb*n  I 'first  saw  you^  but  you've'  seen  Sandy  Jim, 


U  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

•will  see  him  again,  and  will  shoot  him  down  j  there- 
fore I  save  your  life.  Here,  this  rifle,  take  it,  and  be 
off." 

Mechanically;  Edward  Hale  took  the  rifle  from  the 
bunter's  hand.  He  said  nothing",  he  did  not  move. 

"  Why  don't  ye  leave  ?"  cried  Slashaway,  fiercely. 
"  Begone,  I  sav." 

"  Til  go  at  once." 

And  he  started,  and  the  hunter  watched  him  until 
he  was  out  of  sight. 

He  was  a  tall,  slim  young  man — this  Edward  Hale 
—twenty-five  years  of  age,  well-educated,  an  artist  by 
profession,  and,  at  the  time  we  write,  was  having,  as 
he  had  informed  the  hunter,  his  first  experience  wi 
the  plains. 

l>-  I  don't  know  much  about  hunting,"  he  had  said  to 
Sandy  Jim  when  the  latter  offered  him  the  hospitality 
of  his  home.  "  I  can  load  a  gun,  I  guess,  and  that's 
about  all.  I  know  nothing  of  a  hunter's  life." 

Cl  But  I'll  show  you  a  trick  or  two  if  you'll  come 
with  me,"  said  Sandy  Jim,  by  way  of  encouragement. 
"  As  sure  as  1'rn  a-livin;,  I'll  astonish  you." 

As  young  Edward  Hale  found  himself  some  time 
afterwards  alone  on  the  prairie,  the  words  of  Sandy 
Jim  came  to  him,  and  he  thought  with  a  sigh,  that  Ge 
had  been  astonished  in  more  ways  than  one. 

"  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do,"  he  said,  a 
minute  or  so  after  his  adventure  with  Slasbaway,  the 
Fearless.  •'*  My  situation  is  anything  but  enviable. 
I  am  alone  on  the  prairie,  hundreds  of  miles  from 
home,  unacquainted  with  rny  surroundings,  no  friends, 
«o  food,  nothing.  Sandy  Jim  !  so  I  am  commissioned 
lo  shoot  him,  am  I  ?  Well,  we  shall  see,  we  sbali 
see." 

He  looked  back  of  him  to  satisfy  himself  that 
Slashaway,  the  Fearless,  was  no  longer  in  sight,  then, 
turning,  directed  his  steps  toward  a  belt  of  timber  to 
the  westward  nearly  a  mile  away. 

"I  must  get  back  to  the  settlement,  if  possible,*'  he 
began,  as  he  jouvneyed  along,  "  and  in  the  meantime, 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  13 

bar?  file  this  rifle  the  best  I  know  how.  One  thing  in 
particular,  I  must  look  to.  I  must  avoid  Saul  Slash- 
away.  It  won't  do  to  meet  the  crazy  old  man  a  second 
time.  He's  a  dangerous  person — this  Saul  Slashaway 
«— a  very  dangerous  man.  Sandy  Jim,  the  rascal,  told 
me  about  him,  said  he  was  crazy,  mad,  a  perfect  fiend. 
At  the  settlement  everybody  said  :  i  Look  out  for 
Slashaway,  the  Fearless,  he  is  mad/  Strange  that 
the  old  man  should  want  me  to  kill  Sandy  Jim.  "Will 
I  do  it  1  I  think  not,  I  am  not  a  murderer  !" 
?  As  the  last  word  escaped  the  young  man's  lips,  ho 
stopped  and  looked  back  of  Lira,  for  he  thought  ho 
heard  his  own  name  linked  with  the  word  murderer, 
and  repeated  close  to  his  ear. 

At  first  he  was  frightened,  could  not  utter  a  word, 
turned  pale,  trembled,  and  stood  like  a  man  in  a 
<!ream. 

"  I  thought  I  was  alone/7  at  last,  he  whispered, 
il  but  I  am  not.  Some  one  is  following  me — some  one 
M'ho  knows  my  name.  Who  can  it  be?  Slashaway, 
or  Sandy  Jim  ?  Nonsense,  it  was  but  the  wind  I 
lieard,  I  am  frigljteded.  I  am  nervous.  Everything 
startles  me.  I  will  go  on.''1 

He  continued  to  advance,  reached  the  timber  after  a 
five  minutes  walk,  and  halting  under  the  branches  of  a 
stunted  oak,  remarked  aloud  : 

"  Only  a  clump  of  trees  •  I   thought  it  was   a  wood 

of  some  extent,  or  at  least  a  stretch  of  timber,     I   ain 

disappointed.     However,  I  shall  not  complain,  but  do 

the  best    I  can.     If   I  am  not  mistaken,  this    timber 

1  borders  a  lake  or  river  of   some  kind.     I  think  I  can 

»  s»ee  water  through  the  trees.     A  little  nearer  and  I  can 

;    tell." 

j       He  stepped  off  briskly  in  the  direction  of  the  water, 
i  and  had  gone  about  a  rod,  when  a  circumstance  oc- 
curred which,  for  the  time  being,  transformed  him  into 
a  block  of  marble. 

A  woman's  voice  was  heard  singing   in   the  chorus 
t>f  a  long-forgtten   song.     Tho  v-oise  was   soft,,  sweet, 
aintive  at  times,  then  harsh  almost  to  uu- 


j£*  SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

I. 

^pleasantness,  and  again,  rising  up  and  outward'  la  a 

Beautiful  nndulating  wave  of  melody. 

For  a  time  it  seemed  to  Edward  Hale  that  he  was 
'istening  to  an  angel's  voice,  or  that  he  was  dreaming, 
for  he  could  not  make  himself  believe  that  the  plain- 
live  notes  borne  to  him  on  the  summer  wind  were  con- 
nected in  any  way  with  flesh  and  blood. 

"  There  are  women  who  sing  as  sweet,  probably," 
be  said,  at  last,  "  but  w?hat  woman  would  live  irt  this 
ont-of-the-way  place,  and  living  here,  What  woman 
would  sing?  Strange,  that  I  should  be  so  deceived. 
My  imagination  is  running  away  with  me.  I  'hear 
nothing  but  the  wind,  I  am  a  coward." 

To  keep  his  spirits  up  he  began  to  whistle  and 
tramp  around  among  the  trees  j  but  the  'more  he 
whistled  and  walked,  the  plainer  the  voice  of  the 
woman,  singing  so  sweetly,  singing  so  softly,  sounded 
iv,:  his  ears. 

Edward  B<*le  was  not  a  coward  ;  he  was  only  a  little 
tnperstitious,  or  rather  a  believer  in  the  Wonderful, 
tind  in  this  case  all  his  superstitious  feelings  wf:e 
aroused,  and,  without  knowing  it,  he  began  to'tnof*^ 
slowly  out  of  the  timber  toward  the  prairie,  leaving- 
the  sweet  song-bird  behind. 

Reaching  the  edge  of  the  wood  he  halted,  and  began 
to  look  around  him  and  listen,  thinking,  perhaps,  he 
might  see  something,  or,  at  least,  catch  a  few  notes  of 
the  song  warbled  so  sweetly  by  the  woman  of  his 
inncy. 

But  the  voice  of  the  singer  could  not  be  heard  ;  it 
l)Tid  died  softly  away  on  the  summer  wind,  and,  foe  the 
time  being,  Edward  Hale  heard  it  no  more- 

In  vain  he  listened,  in  vain  he  skirted  the  timber, 
approaching  nearer  and  nearer  the  water  which  he  had 
associated  with  the  unseen  musician  ;  but  the  Song- 
bird had  flown. 

In  a  melancholy  mood  he  halted  at  last  by  a  clump 
of  bushes  near  the  edge  of  the  timber,  and,  seating 
Limself  on  the  ground,  began  to  muse  aloud. 

"  Can  it  be  possible,"  he  whispered,  "that  I  heard 


SLASEIA.WAY,  THE  FEAHLES3.  2^ 

nothing^  sLat-I  have  been  dreaming?  How  strange  I 
feel  j.  how  my  heart  beats,  flutters,  pauses.  I  wonder 
what -is  the  matter  with.  me.  I  almost  wish  I  had 
gone  on  with  Sandy  Jim.  Maybe  he  would  have 
murdered  me  ;  he  probably  would,  the  blood-thirsty 
rascal  !  Anyway,  I  had  better  be  dead  than  be  hero 
— almost.' 

He  stopped  speaking  suddenly,  for  at  this  moment 
a  rabbit  bounded  across  his  path,  and  halting1  a  short 
distance  from  him,  turned  and  looked  at  him.  in  a 
manner,  as  he  thought,  quite  saucily. 

"Impadent  thing,"  cried  tin-  young  man,  "to  stop 
SO  near  me  j  doubtless  knows  I  never  fired  a  gun  iu 
my  life,  A  good  timo  to  begin,  right  here.  Just  liko 
all  the  rest,  don't  fear  me  in  the  least  j  stands  per- 
fectly ilill,  quietly  watching  me.  We  shall  see,  wo 
shall  «ee." 

Ho-  raised  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder,  took  aim  as  best 
he  coirld,  and  tired. 

A.<  soon  as  he  had  (i:ed  he  rushed  to  the  spot,  but 
no  rabbit  was  there,  alive  or  dead  •  he  had  missed  tho 
mavk  almost  by  a  rod. 

-'  It  all  comes  by  practice,"  he  muttered,  ad  he  re- 
traced, his  steps.  '*  I'll  try  again,  the  next  oppor- 
tunity." 

The  next  opportunity  came  about  rive  minutes  after- 
ward, in  the  shape  of  a  huge  buzzard,  who  settled 
himself  on  a  rock  a  shoit  distance  away,  and,  all  un- 
suspecting, began  to  clean  his  bill. 

"  Til  fix  your  apple-dumplings  for  you,  old  buz- 
zard," remarked  the  young  man,  jocosely,  as  ho 
brought' his  rifle  to  his  shoulder.  "  Prepare  to  die." 

A  loud  report,  keen  and  startling,  rang  out  upon 
the  air,  a  blue  wave  of  smoke  curled  up  from  the 
wood;  and  Edward  Hale,  instead  of  seeing  the  object 
of  his  aim  full  lifeless  to  the  ground,  on  the  contrary, 
saw  it  rise  from  the  rock,  and  sail  quietly  away. 

'•A  tine  artist,  I  aru,  with  a  gun,"  grunted  young 
Hale,  half  sreeringly.  "I  could n''t  shoot  Sandy*  Ji,:^, 
if  I  TC^uted  to.  Suul  Slashaway  commissioned  t&& 


26  SLASH  AW  AY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

•wrong  man  to  do  his  work  when  he  commissioned  me* 
J^nt  I  may  get  up  to  it.  There  is  nothing  like  trying. 
Hi'.rk  !  what  did  I  hear  then  1  Some  one  is  following 
»ne.  Listen  I" 

He  halted,  and  turning  his  ear  to  the  ground,  lis- 
tened intently. 

But  what   he  thought  he   heard     a   bitter  laugh  or 
snarl — was  not  repeated.     All  wa?  sKll ;   he  could  see I 
nothing,  hear  nothing,  but  the  thumping  of  his  own  * 
heart. 

"  Surely  I  heard  a  laugh,"  he  said,  as  he  went  on, 
looking  around  him.  "  It  was  more  like  a  sneer  than 
a  laugh,  though  a  little  of  both.  I  wonder  if  I  can 
again  be  dreaming.  Nonsense;  I  am  a  nervous  wight. 
I  heard  nothing. '; 

He  began  to  whistle  softly  to  himself,  while  hid 
eves  roved  over  the  prairie;  his  ears  caught  at  every 
sound  that  fell,  and  he  appeared,  for  the  time  being, 
like  a  man  who  had  much  to  fear,  and  sadly  in  nee<l 
of  a  friendly  hand  to  help  him  through. 

Halting  at  last  under  the  branches  of  a  spreading 
oak,  he  directed  his  eyes  to  a  point  in  the  prairie's 
iloep  expanse,  and  fixedly  looked  for  several  minutes, 
when  he  quietly  dropped  to  the  ground,  and  ex- 
cj.umed  : 

"  A  band  of  redskins  as  sure  as  I  am  living.  In. 
all  I  count  just  twenty-seven.  I  wonder  if  they  are 
on  the  war-path.  I  think  I  had  better  keep  dark. 
I'm  not  acquainted  with  the  red  chaps  very  much,  but 
what  I  know  of  them,  I  don't  like  them.  Oh,  they 
are  coming  this  way.  Now  I  can  take  observations.^ 

Hidden  from  view  by  a  clump  of  bushes  through 
which  he  himself  could  see  quite  plainly,  our  young 
friend  watched  and  waited,  fully  determined  to  see 
what  there  was  to  be  seen,  when  the  redskins  passed 
Lira  by. 

In  single  file  the  Indian  horde  approached  the  wood, 
then  turning,  passed  within  a  hundred  yards  of  Ed- 
ward Hale,  and  continued  their  silent  march  ovsr.  the 
prairie. 


SLASIIAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  tr 

'  "  Ugly,  scowling  devils,"  whispered  the  young  mfi:<, 
ns  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight.  u  Good  for  me  tl.  >' 
1  did  not  show  myself.  The  rascals  Lave  been  up  to 
their  old  tricks — murdering1  emigrants.  If  my  eyes 
did  not  deceive  me,  I  saw  three  captives  in  the  croud 
— two  men  and  a  girl,  or  rather,  woman.  I  wonder 
•what  they  will  do  with  them — the  captives.  Buni 
them  at  the  stake,  I  reckon.  Too  bad,  too  bad." 

With  no  particular  purpose  in  view,  young  Hale 
shouldered  his  rifle,  and  without  knowing  it,  started 
off  in  the  direction  of  the  water,  out  of  which  and  over 
-which  had  come  the  voice  of  the  woman  singing  tlio 
chorus  of  the  long-forgotten  song. 

As  he  n eared  the  water  he  suddenly  became  con- 
scious of  what  he  was  doing,  and  started  back  with  a 
feeling  of  alarm. 

Then  he  urged  himself  foiw-.ird,  saying  angrily  : 

"  Fool   that    lam  to  thii  k  of    such    a    thing!      A. 
woman  singing  in  this  wilderness.     All  foolish: 
I  heard  nothing  more  than  I  can   hear  at  any  time — a 
Woman  of  my  fancy.     Let  me  see  what  there  is  to 

He  was  about   to  take  a   step  forward,  when   to  his 
astonishment,  the    plaintive    notes    of    a  guitar    we:e 
borne  to  him  on  the  summer  wind,  hung  for  a  mom. 
over  him  like  a  spell,  then  died  away  in  a  murmur  <  f 
melody. 

At  first  Edward  Hale  knew  not  what  to  do,  he  c 
Dot  speak,  he  could  not  stir,  he  could  only  look,  lUtc   , 
and  wonder. 

At  length   recovering  his  courage,  he   determi: 
come  what  would,  to  fathom  the  mystery. 

So  he   struck  out  boldly,  pushed  from    tree  to   t 
from  rock  to  rock,  stopping  only  when  he  found   hi...-- 
eelf  on  the  edge  of  a  quiet  lake  whose  waters  spre;:  I 
o-ut  before  him  so  bright,  so  beautiful,  that  for  an.     - 
ut-e  he  could  but  look  aiound  him  in  mute  surprise. 

But  he  looked   in  vain  for  the  woman — the  wo; 
of  hid  fancy  ;  she  was  nowhere    to  be   seen,  she   La  '. 
disappeared.     No  song  now,  no  music — nothing  ! 

"  No  woman  here,"  whispered  the  young  man,  sei-.t- 


18  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

in.<r  h'iroseli  on  a  rock  near  the  water.  "  Still  1  Heard 
a  woman's  voice,  and  the  notes  of  a  guit.ar.  I  am  Hot 
dreaming,  I  have  not  been  dreaming.  Some  one  is 
on  or  near  this  lake,  a  woman,  a  man,  or  a  ghost. 
Heavens  !  what  do  I  see  ?" 

He  was  looking  over  the  water,  and  his  faoe  was 
pale  as  death. 

He  was  looking  at  a  man  leaning  over  the  edge  of  ^ 
a  small  canoe  a  hundred  yards  from  shore.  $. 

The  man  was  fishing,  apparently,  and  his  face  was  1| 
turned  toward  his  work. 

But  Edward  Hale  could  see  enough  of  his  face  to  g 
convince  him  that  the  man  was  black,  also  that  he  |«? 
was  no  common  personage. 

The  fisherman  seemed  unconscious  of  the  presence 
of  a  stranger,  and  Edward  Hale  was  loth  to  disturb 
Lim. 

But  at  length  ho  cried  out : 

u  Halloo,  there  !  halloo  !  halloo  !" 

The  fisherman  looked  up  quietly  from  his  work, 
turned  his  eyes  shoreward,  grunted,  then  seizing  the 
oars  in  the  canoe,  began  to  move  slowly  away. 

"  Come  back,  you  lunatic,  come  back/'  cried  the 
young  man,  unwilling  to  have  his  curiosity  thus  easily 
defeated.  "  What  do  you  mean  by  leaving  so  sud- 
denly ?" 

The  man  in  the  boat  turned  and  faced  him  in  aa. 
instant. 

"  "  What'll  ye  have  fv  he  growled,  almost  fiercely. 
"  Don't  keep  me  waiting."  ffi 

It  was  some  seconds  before  Edward  Halo  replied,  f-£ 
and  in  the  interview,  he  gave  the  stranger  in  the  boat  £ 
his  closest  attention.  10 

The   age   of  the   man  he   could  not  exactly  tell,  |v 
wliether  he  was  fifty  or  a  hundred,  he  had  the  appear-  > 
ance  of  a  centenarian  ;  he  was  gray  almost  to  white-  '- 
ness,  bent  nearly  double,  very  black,  very  wrinkled, 
very   careworn,  and    in    his   actions   very  queer  and 
Btrange.     Still,  he  looked  rugged,  and  despite  his  age, 


SLA8HAWAY,  THE  FEARLES&  If 

iiTfcsf  Doubtless,  a  person  whom  no  common  man  could 


In  stature  he  was  not  much  over  five  feet  tall,  though 
he  was  so  bent,  his  height  could  not.be  well  deter- 
mined. 

He  iWas  dressed  in  buckskin,  was  armed  with  a  rifle 
and  a  long  glittering  knife.  The  knife  was  in  his 
belt,  the  r^fle  lay  by  him  in  the  canoe. 

"You  seem  very  anxious  to  get  away,"  at  length 
spoke  up  Edward  Hale,  approaching  a  little  nearer  the 
water's  edge.  "  Where  do  you  make  your  home  f" 

The  African  pointed  to  a  small,  green  spot,  an 
island  in  the  middle  of  the  lake,  and  said,  by  gesture, 
that  he  lived  there. 

"  And  what  do  you  do  in  this  wild  place,  and  you 
all  alone?"  asked  Edward  Hale,  showing  his  surprise 
in  various  ways.  "  How  do  you  pass  your  time?" 

"  I  fish  and  hunt,"  replied  the  man,  as  he  gave  hia 
boat  a  sidelong  turn,  "  and  then  I  hunt  and  fish." 

"  And  do  you  ever  sing  1"  questioned  the  young 
man,  suddenly  remembering  the  voice  he  had  heard. 
tl  I  heard  some  one  singing  a  while  ago." 

"It  wasn't  me,"  said  the  man,  slowly  j  "I  nevac 
sing," 

"  Who  was  it,  then  t" 

"  I  cannot  tell  you." 

"  You  mean  you  will  not  tell  me." 

The  African's  eyes  flashed. 

"You  are  very  wise,"  he  said,  half  sneeringly, 
though  he  smiled  as  he  said  it.  "What  is  your 
name  ?" 

"Edward  Hale." 

"  And  you  live  t" 

"  Nowhere  just  now.  To  tell  the  truth  1  am  turned 
around  in  this  wilderness,  I  am  lost." 

A  wild  laugh,  almost  a  shriek,  came  from  the  negro 
as  he  heard  this. 

"  I  am  sorry  you  are  lost,"  he  eslairaed,  at  length, 
stopping  abruptly  in  his  laugh.  "Hereafter  stay  at 
home  as  I  do,  and  fear  nothing." 


80  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

For  some  seconds  Edward  Hale  was  silent.  Hd 
was  looking  at  the  island  on  which  his  strange  ac- 
quaintance made  his  home. 

11 1  wouldn't  live  where  you  do  for  all  the  world," 
at  length  he  said,  pointing  to  the  island.  "  I'll  wager 
anything  the  place  is  haunted.  What  do  you  call 
your  island  V 

"I  do  not  call  it  anything,"  replied  the  man-,  "  but 
some  folks  call  it,  very  foolishly  though,  Spectre  Isle. 
Have  you  any  idea  it's  haunted  ?" 

Something  in  the  negro's  voice,  in  his  looks  or  ae- 
tions,  or  in  the  way  he  said  it,  caused  the  young  man 
to  shudder;  but  he  mastered  himself  directly,  and  re- 
plied : 

"I  don't  believe  in  spectres,  but  if  I  did,  I  should 
come  here  to  see  them." 

The  stranger  laughed. 

Edward  Hale  continued  : 

"  Do  you  live  by  yourself — alone  V 

The  negro  gave  his  interlocutor  a  searching  glance, 
tli en  replied  : 

"Folks  have  called  me  'The  Hermit'  for  many  a 
day  ;  and  isn't  that  enough  to  satisfy  ye?  Who  ever 
saw  any  one  with  me?" 

The  African  came  a  little  nearer  shore,  rose  to  his 
feet,  hauled  in  his  nets,  then  settling  himself  down  in 
his  canoe,  seized  the  oars,  and  bending  his  back  to 
the  task,  despite  young  Hale's  entreaties,  rowed 
swiftly  away. 

"  A  strange  man,  whoever  he  is,v  said  the  .young 
man,  with  his  eyes  on  the  fast  receding  boat.  "  There, 
be  is  out  of  sight ;  a  bend  in  the  shore  has  hidden  him 
from  view.  What  I  know  of  him  amounts  to  almost 
nothing.  And  the  woman  whose  voice  I  heard  sing- 
ing so  sweetly,  what  have  I  learned  ot  her?  Nothing, 
absolutely  nothing." 

He  lapsed  into  silence,  and  waited  and  watched, 
hoping  for  the  return  of  the  strange,  old  man,  but  h« 
watched  and  waited  in  vain;  the  strange,  old  man. 
was  gone  for  good. 


SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  21 

"Gone,  gone/'  said  the  youth,  as  he  turned  and  en- 
lered  the  wood.  il  Is  it  anything  strange  that  I 
should  stand  in  awe  of  such  a  man?  I  know  not 
what  to  make  of  him.  I  only  know  that  he  is  very 
strange  and  queer  Hark  !  what  is  that  I  hear  ?7' 

A  slight  breath  of  wind   came  up  from    the  ravine 
Inden  with  music — the  plaintive  notes  of  a  guitar,  this 
\  time- accompanied  by  a  woman's  voice  of  rare  sweet- 
j  ness; 

I      For  a  moment  Edward  Hale   stood  as  if  rooted  to 
|  the  ground,  then,  with    a  hoarse   cry   and    a  look    of 
superstitious  awe,  he  walked  rapidly  away. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  woman's  voice  and  the  notes 
of  the  guitar  could  not  be  heard. 

"'Tlie  sooner  I  get  out  of  this  ghostly  place  the 
better  for  me,"  said  the  young  man,  as  iie  hurried 
along.  "I'll  wager  my  head  a  foul  murder  has  been 
committed  in  this  wood — a  uotnan,  likely,  murdered 
in  cold  blood.  Did  the  weird  old  African  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  it  I  If  he  did  not,  I  am  badly 
fooled,  badly  fooled." 

Reaching  the  edge  of  the  wood,  our  young  friend 
came  to  a  halt,  and,  with  his  back  against  a  tree,  let 
his  eyes  wander  over  the  prairie,  though  to  divert  his 
mind  from  that  which  had  caused  his  retreat,  he  could 
not  do. 

Still  he  continued  standing  with  his  back  against  a 
tree,  looking  out  over  the  prairie. 

Presently  he  thought  he  heard  footsteps  approach- 
ing. 

He  listened,  w  ith  his  head  bent  forward. 
!      He   heard    nothing,  saw  nothing  j  he  was  foolishly 

alarmed. 

I       "Always  frightened,  always   trembling  at   my  own 
(  shadow,"  he  said,  as  he  straightened  himself  up,  and 
turned  his  eyes  once  more  toward  the  prairie.     u  If  I 
am  not  a  coward,  what  am  I  ?" 

•To  this  a  reply  was  given,  but  Edward  Hale  did 
Erot  hear  it. 

A  hideous  monster,  in  plumes  and  paint,  a  scowling 


S?  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

savage,  Closely  followed  by  a  vampire  looking  wretch, 
was  creeping  up  behind  him. 

The  foremost  rascal  was  apparently  unarmed  j  the 
fiend  behind  him  held  in  his  hand  a  huge,  glittering 
knife,  the  blade  at  least  ten  inches  long. 

Quietly,  cautiously .  the  savage  brutes  glided  from 
tree  to  tree. 

Edward  Hale  heard  nothing. 

Presently  the  dusky  villains  came  to  a  halt,  but  di- 
rectly, without  a  word,  the  one  in  advance  moved  for- 
ward* slowly,  cautiously,  quietly,  like  a  panther  ready 
to  spring. 

Pretty  soon  he  stopped,  crouched  down,  and  ,with 
Lis  glittering  eyes  fastened  on  the  tree  against  which 
young  Edward  Hale  was  leaning,  sprang  forward  with 
the  rapidity  of  lightning,  and  before  the  young  man 
had  time  to  turn  aside,  he  was  fastened  to  the  tree 
BO  tightly,  that  he  could  not  move. 

The  redskin  stood  behind  the  tree,  but  his  arms 
were  around  it,  and  between  the  tree  and  his  arms  was 
Edward  Hale,  fastened  as  in  a  vice. 

At  first  young  Hale  was  so  frightened  that  he  could 
not  speak,  and  so  tightly  was  he  crowded  to  the  tree, 
that  to  get  away  was  out  of  the  question. 

At  length  he  managed  to  speak,  and  what  he  said 
was  this : 

tl  Whoever  you  are,  don't  crush  the  life  out  of  me. 
I  can  scarcely  breathe.  Do  you  want  to  murder  me  f 

The  savage,  whose  arms  were  around  him,  did  not 
answer,  but  the  savage  who  had  lingered  in  the  rear, 
sprang  forward  at  this  instant,  and  shaking  his  knife 
in  the  face  of  the  helpless  man,  hissed  like  an  adder : 

"  Pale  rascal  must  die.  Saul  Slashaway  told  him 
to  shoot  Sandy  Jim.  Sandy  Jim  listen,  overhear  all, 
tell  redskin  to  look  sharp  and  kill  young  paleface 
devil,  belore  he  kill  Sandy  Jim.  Redskin  good  war- 
rior, he  watch,  he  listen,  he  find  young  hunter,  catch 
him,  and  now  he  kill  him  as  he  would  a  dog.;; 

The  eavage  ceased  speaking,  sheathed  his  knife, 
stepped  back  a  pace,  and  drawing  from  his  belt  a 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  23 

hatchet  of  polished  steel,  with  a  yell  that  was  blood- 
curdling  in  the  extreme,  aimed  a  blow -at  the  voting 
man's  head. 

If  Edward  Hale  ever  thought  his  time  had  comb,  it 
was  at  this  moment.  lie  saw  the  murderous  imple- 
ment flash  in  the  light  of  the  melting  sun,  heard  the 
fierce  yell  of  the  monster  before  him  j  and  terrified, 
bewildered,  \\ith  a  prayer  on  his  lips,  he  closed  his 
eyes,  and  awaited  the  blow  that  would  lay  him  coM  in 
deatb. 

But  the  tomahawk  of  the  savage  monster  fell  not 
on  the  young  man's  head,  for,  before  it  could  descend, 
the  sharp,  whip-like  crack  of  a  rifle  rang  out  upon  the 
the  air,  and  with  a  shriek,  a  gurgle,  and  a  groan,  the 
would-be  murderer  dropped  his  weapon,  threw  up  his 
hands,  and  fell  lifeless  to  the  ground. 

Not  knowing  whether  he  was  in  the  world  or  out  of 
it,  Edward  Halo  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  around 
him,  and  what  he  savv  was  this  : 

On  the  ground  before  him  lay  an  Indian  warrior, 
shot  dead  in  his  tracks;  to  the  left  of  him,  the  savage 
who  had  held  him  to  the  tree,  was  shooting  through  the 
wood  like  a  frightened  deer ;  arid  to  his  right,  the 
man  who  had  saved  his  life  was  making  for  the  lake 
which  lay  beyond  with  all  his  speed. 

As  soon  as  he  could  get  his  voice,  the  young  man 
cried  out  to  the  latter  to  halt,  but  at  this,  for  some 
reason  or  other,  the  man  redoubled  his  speed,  and  was 
soon  lost  to  view. 

';  Anyway,  I  know  who  my  perscrver  is,"  said  Hale, 
turning  his  eyes  on  the  fallen  redskin  •  "  but  why  he 
ehould  save  n^life  is  more  than  I  can  tell.  I  thought 
I  had  more  to  fear  from  him  than  from  any  one  else. 
But  now  I  know  better.  The  Hermit  of  Spectre  Isle 
is  a  man,  he  saved  my  life.  God  bless  him  !" 

He  was  going  to  say  more,  but  at  this  moment  the 
cap  or  sort  of  hood  that  covered  the  redskin's  head  fell 
off,  revealing  to  the  astonished  gaze  of  young  Hale,  a 
mass  of  hair,  almost  red. 

*'  An  Indian  with  red  hair !''  exclaimed  the  yoang 


U  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

man,  excitedly.  "  I  don't  believe  it  possible. 
Heavens  !" 

A  terrible  thought  came  to  nim  at  this  moment — a 
thought  that  nearly  took  away  his  breath. 

"It  may  be  so,"  at  length  he  said,  stooping  down 
and  examining  the  man  on  the  ground.  "  Ah  f  yes, 
the  man  is  white.  The  same,  the  verv  same.  Dead, 
dead  !" 

The  man  on  the  ground  was  Sandy  Jim. 


CHAPTER   II. 

SATJL  SLASHAWAY  AND   EDWARD   HALE. 

SAUL  SLASHAWAY'S  home  was  a  cave,  and  at  the 
time  Edward  Hale  made  the  startling  discovery  that 
the  man  before  him  was  Sandy  Jim,  Saul  Slashaway 
was  in  his  cave,  preparing  his  evening  meal.  * 

"  People  say  1  am  crazy/7  soliloquized  the  old  man, 
"  but  t bar's  wliar  they're  badly  fooled.  I  ain't  very 
crazy,  not  very  •  at  least  I  think  so.  Howsumever,  if 
folks  want  to  call  me  a  leetle  wild,  I  shan't  object — 
it's  their  privilege." 

The  old  man  mumbled  over  something  to  himself, 
then  went  on  aloud  : 

"Edward  Hale — that's  what  be  called  himself,  I 
bleeve,  and  that's  what  I  shall  call  biro  when  I  see 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS  25 

him,  for  I  shall  see  him  again.  Mighty,  wasn't  he 
frightened  when  I  commanded  him  to  kill  Sandy  Jim. 
Blast  me,  if  I  haven't  a  notion  that  he'll  do  it.  Sandy 
Jim  dead  upon  the  ground,  his  throat  cut  from  ear  to 
ear.  Heavens  !  wouldn't  I  feel  happy.  Sandy  Jim 
dead,  and  Slashaway,  the  Fearless,  will  worship  the 
man  who  killed  him  as  long  as  life  remains !" 

The  old  hunter  lapsed  into  silence,  finished  prepar- 
ing his  food,  ate  what  was  before  him  without  a  word, 
then  wrapping  himself  up  in  his  blanket,  lay  down  in 
one  corner  of  the  room,  and  was  soon  soundly  asleep. 

He  slept  until  broad  daylight  without  waking  ;  then 
be  roused  himself,  ate  a  light  meal  of  bread  and  cold 
venison,  after  which  he  took  down  his  gun,  and  started 
out  for  a  morning's  jaunt  over  the  prairie. 

'•Til  find  Edward  Hale,  if  I  can,"  muttered  the  old 
man,  as  he  journeyed  along.  "  Who  knows  what  the 
young  chap's  been  up  to.  Maybe  he's  killed  Sandy 
Jim.  Well,  we  shall  see,  we  shall  see." 

In  about  an  hour  the  old  hunter  found  hin«self  on 
the  edge  of  a  dense  forest  of  maple,  oak,  and  ash,  and 
the  first  sound  that  greeted  him  as  he  entered  the 
wood,  was  the  report  of  a  rifle,  sounding  out  but  a  rod 
or  two  away. 

At  first  the  old  man  was  startled,  but  immediately 
he  smiled  grimly,  and  advanced  into  the  wood  with  a 
quiet  rapidity  that  betokened  anything  but  alarm. 

"Edward  Hale — that's  who  it  is,"  said  Slashaway, 
in  a  cheerful  voice.  "  I  told  him  to  kill  Sandy  Jim, 
and  he  has  done  it.  Sandy  Jim,  the  murderer,  is 
dead." 

He  stopped  speaking  suddenly,  for  at  this  instant 
Le  found  himself  face  to  face  with  the  object  of  his 
search. 

On  finding  himself  once  more  in  the  clutches  of 
Slashaway,  the  Fearless,  Edward  Hale  was  frightened 
enough,  but  he  controlled  his  feelings  as  best  he  could, 
and  said,  in  as  strong  a  voice  tss  be  -xould  command  : 

"  I  didn't  expect  to  meet  you  in  this  wood,  old  man. 
Do  yon  live  here  t" 


36  SLA8HAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

fThe  hunter  chuckled. 

"  Live  here  ?  Of  course  I  don't.  I  live  five  mile* 
from  here,  maybe  more  j  live  in  a  cave.  Then  ye 
thought  ye'd  seen  the  last  of  me  when  ye  left  me  yes- 
terday lioon  ?  Thought  so,  did  ye  ?  Ho !  ho  !  I'm 
not  a  fool,  young  man,  if  I  am  crazy — not  a  fool. 
But  you — what  have  you  been  doing?  Where  did 
you  stay  last  night  f 

"In  this  wood,  of  course.  Where  else  should  I 
stay  r 

"And  you  rested   well,  I  reckon  ?"  continued  the 
Lunter;  with  a  touch  of  sarcasm  in   his  voice.     "  Ye  [ 
look  sort  o'  spry." 

"But  I  don't  feel  spry,  by  any  means/'  replied  the 
young  man,  with  a  poor  attempt  at  a  laugh.  "  I 
came  near  being  devoured  last  night." 

"  By  wolves  ?" 

"Yes,  by  wolves.  I  didn't  sleep  very  well. 
Wolves  are  not  first-class  companions." 

The  old  hunter  was  silent  a  moment,  thinking. 
Then  he  roused  up  all  of  a  sudden,  his  eyes  flashed, 
the  muscles  of  his  face  twitched  convulsively,  and 
bending  forward,  so  that  his  hot  breath  touched  the 
young  man's  face,  he  fairly  roared  : 

"  Where  is  Sandy  Jim  ?  You  remember  what  I 
told  yon.  Sand)?  Jim  or  you  must  die.  Have  von 
killed  him  1" 

At  first  Edward  Hale  did  not  know  what  to  say. 
Should  he  tell  the  hunter  that  Sandy  Jim  was  dead? 
Or  should  he  wait,  and  tell  him  only  on  compulsion! 
He  concluded  not  to  be  in  a  hurry  about  disclosing 
the  death  of  Sandy  Jim  j  so  he  answered  the  hunter 
as  follows : 

"Do  yon  take  me  for  a  murderer?  Why  should  I 
kill  Sandy  Jim  ?  And  if  you  want  him  murdered  so 
bad,  why  don't  you  do  it  yourself  f  For  you  to  kill 
him  would  be  a  very  small  affair,  you  are  so  used  to 
killing  folks  ;  but  for  me  to  shoot  "him,  I  couldn't  do 
it,  I  wouldn't  do  it,  for  the  world." 

41  Then  you  haven't  killed  him  ?" 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  27 

The  way  this  was  spoken,  the  voice,  the  manner, 
sent  a  chill  through  the  young  man's  frame,  startled 
Lira  so  that  he  could  not  say  a  word. 

u  I  asked  you  have  you  killed  him  ?"  said  the  hun- 
ter, in  the  same  peculiar  voice,  "  have  you  murdered 
Sandy  Jim  ?" 

The  young  man  felt  that  to  keep  the  facts  from 
Slashaway  any  longer,  would  be  to  run  the  risk  of 
being  killed  himself,  so  he  answered  very  quietly  : 

"  Sandy  Jim  is  dead/' 

"  Prove  it,"  cried  the  hunter,  flashing  up  in  an  in- 
stant. u  If  you  tell  the  truth,  if  Sandy  Jim  is  dead, 
anything  you  ask  of  me  will  I  do." 

"  Then  come  with  me." 

Like  a  man  whose  mind  is  thoroughly  made  up, 
young  Hale  shouldered  his  rifle,  and  with  the  hunter 
at  his  heels,  started  for  the  wood  in  which  he  had.  left 
the  outlaw's  body  the  evening  before. 

"  If  the  old  man  wants  to  think  I  killed  him,  let  him 
think  so,"  thought  Edward  Hale,  as  they  neared  the 
wood.  "  Mighty,  what  if  the  body  has  been  devoured 
by  wolves  ?  what  would  Saul  Slashaway  say  and  do  f 
I  am  almost  afraid  to  go  on.  Bad  luck  to  the  wolves  !" 

But  the  young  man's  fears  were  groundless,  The 
body  of  Sandy  Jim  lay  where  Edward  Hale  had  left 
it,  untouched,  undisturbed,  even  by  the  wolves, 

"  Now  look  for  yourself,"  said  the  young  man,  as  he 
conducted  the  hunter  to  the  spot.  "  Didn't  I  tell  you 
the  truth  ?" 

"  An  Ingin  warrior,"  muttered  Slashaway,  at  first 
•  sight. 

"  Look  again,  a  sharper  look,"  commanded  young 
t  Hale,  "  What  do  vou  say  now  ?  Is  it  not  the  body 
i  of  Sandy  Jim  t" 

|      The   old    hunter   bowed   his    head,    and   answered 
almost  in  a  whisper. 

"  Dead  at  last,  the  fiend,  the  worse  than  murderer, 
Sandy  Jim  !  God  bless  the  man  who  killed  him,  bless 
him  forever  r*' 

Bending  over  the  lifeless  form  of  his  sworn 


28  SLAS1-IAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

Slashaway,  the  Fea'rks-?,  bowed  his  head,  and  for  sev- 
eral minutes  seemed  lost  as  in  a  dream. 

At  length  be  rose  to  bis  feet,  and  with  his  eyes 
nrimful  of  tears,  extended  his  band  to  the  young  rnan 
standing  before  him,  and  said,  in  a  bnsky  voice  : 

l'  You  have  done  what  I  could  not  do,  young  man, 
you  have  taken  the  life  of  Sandy  Jim.  Many  a  time 
have  I  tried  to  kill  him,  but  it  was  not  for  me  to  take 
his  life,  not  for  me." 

t:  But  you  would  kill  a  dog,"  said  Edward  Halo,  bis 
cariosity  now  thoroughly  excited,  "  and  Sandy  Jim, 
you  say,  was  no  better  than  a  dog." 

".I  wanted  to  shoot  the  villain  bad  enough,  my  lad, 
wanted  to,  but  I  couldn't,  I  couldn't/' 

"  Why  couldn't  you  ?" 

"A  woman  was  in  the  way,  allers,  alters.  No 
sooner  would  I  draw  bead  on  the  monster,  than  the 
woman  would  glide  between  us,  glide  arid  stand  thar 
all  white  and  angel-like,  glide  between  us  like  a 
shadow.  I  couldn't  shoot  the  woman,  so  Sandy  Jim 
was  safe." 

As  he  was  telling  this,  the  hunter's  eyes  rovea  about 
him  incessantly,  looked  wild,  strange,  unnatural,  and 
there  was  such  a  glitter  in  them,  that  Edward  Hale 
slipped  back  involuntarily,  more  convinced  than  ever, 
that  be  was  talking  with  a  maniac. 

11  But  bow  about  Sandy  Jim,"  be  inquired  at  last, 
determined,  if  possible,  to  sift  the  matter  to  the 
bottom.  "  Had  you  nothing  to  fear  from  him  ?" 

The  hunter  answered  without  delay. 

"Nothin'  to  fear  from  Sandy  Jim  I"  he  said.  "It 
was  not  his  fault  that  he  didn't  kill  me,  for  he  has 
tried  to  often  enough.  Once  he  met  me  face  to  face, 
his  gun  sprang  to  his  shoulder  in  an  instant,  but  he 
didn't  shoot,  and  why  ?  because  he  couldn't.  The 
same  woman  that  saved  hi*n  from  me,  saved  me  from 
him  !" 

The  hunter  ceased  speaking,  great  beads  of  perspira- 
tion were  on  his  face,  and  he  had  the  appearance  of  a 
man  suffering  terribly. 


SLAB  II A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  20 

Pretty  soon  he  controlled  himself  and  went  on  : 

"  Once  I  overheard  a  conversation  between  Sandy 
Jim  and  a  comrade. 

"  <  Why  don't  you  kill  the  old  rascal,  and  be  done 
with  it,1  said  the  man,  in  a  loud  voice.  '  Shoot  him  as 
yon  would  a  dog.* 

11  i  But  I  can't  shoot  him/  was  Sandy  Jim's  reply. 
'  The  old  wretch  is  haunted.  No  sooner  do  I  draw 
bead  on  him,  than  a  woman  glides  in  before  him,  and, 
somehow,  1  cannot  shoot,  and  I  guess  it's  tlio  same 
with  him.' 

"  So  you  see,"  continued  the  hunter,  lowering  his 
voice,  "  what  a  woman,  though  dead,  can  do." 

"  And  the  woman — who  was  she  f"  asked  Edward 
Hale,  with  a  feeling  of  nervousness  amounting  almost 
to  dread,  creeping  over  him.  •'  You  say  she  is  dead  ?" 

"  Yas,  she  is  dead,"  replied  the  hunter,  in  an  ab- 
stracted manner.  "  I  was  with  her  when  she  died, 
more  than  five  years  ago." 

"  Was  she  beautiful!" 

The  hunter  wiped  away  a  tear. 

"  I  thought  she  was,"  he  replied,  "  and  I  had  every 
reason  for  thinkin'  so.  She  was  an  angel.  She  was 
known  to  both  of  us — Sandy  and  I.  I  loved  her, 
Sandy  did  not,  though  she  loved  him  dearly.  But  it's 
over  now,  all  past  aud  gone." 

A  strange  thought  at  this  moment  camo  into  the 
young  man's  mind,  and  he  relieved  himself  of  it  at 
once,  though  in  a  tone  so  low  that  the  hunter  was  not 
awakened  from  his  melancholy  musings. 

"  I  cannot  help  thinking,"  he  said,  li  that  the  woman 
I  heard  yesterday  singing  so  sweetly,  is  in  some  way 
connected  with  Slashaway  and  Sandy  Jim.  Anyway, 
things  have  a  very  singular  look,  and  if  I  am  not 
careful,  I'll  find  myself  in  a  net  out  of  which  I  cannot 
very  well  escape.  Wouldn't  it  be  as  well  to  question 
the  old  hunter  a  little  concerning  the  Hermit  of  Spec- 
tre Isle?  It  maybe  that  he  can  make  everything 
clear.  I'll  speak  to  him  at  once." 

Slaehaway,  the  Fearless,  stood  with  his  arms 


SO  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

and   his  eyes  riveted  on  the  lifeless  form   before  him. 

Edward  Hale  touched  him  on  the  shoulder,  and 
said : 

"  You've  looked  that  way  long  enough,  my  friend  j 
BOW  turn  your  attention  to  me.  I  want  to  ask  you 
something." 

"Weil,  ask  away/'  replied  the  hunter,  as  he  turned 
and  stood  face  to  face  with  his  companion.  "  I  am 
ready  to  answer  anything  you  may  ask.  Since  what 
luis  occurred,  I  cannot  do  enough  for  you  j  I'm  sure  I 
can't.7' 

"Well,  then,  answer  me  this:  Do  you  know  of  a 
lake  a  short  distance  from  here?" 

If  a  griake  had  suddenly  sprang  up  into  his  face, 
the  old  linnter  would  not  have  been  more  startled 
than  lie  was  when  his  young  companion  asked  him 
this. 

"  A  lake,  did  ye  say  f '  at  last  he  roared.  "  What 
do  ye  know  of  the  lake  of  shadows,  or  Spectre  Lake, 
jis  ii's  sometimes  called  ?  Have  ve  been  thar,  voung- 
man  ?" 

The  eyes  of  the  hunter  were  looking  the  young 
man  through  and  through. 

'•  iVe  seen  the  lake  of  shadows,  as  you  call  it,"  re- 
pliei  young  Hale,  as  quietly  as  lie  could.  "I  was 
ilerc  yesterday.  I  was  called  there." 

The  hunter  started. 

"  Tempted,  war  ve  ?  Who  tempted  ye  to  visit  the 
lake?" 

"A  woman." 

The  hunter's  face  turned  pale. 

"What  was  the  woman  like?"  he  asked,  after  a 
moment's  silence. 

"  I  didn't  see  her.'7 

"  Didn't  see  her,  and  she  tempted  you  ?"  said  tho> 
banter,  slowly.  *'  I  don't  understand.  Strange,  very 
Btrange." 

"  Strange  to  you,  mavbe,  but  cot  to  me." 

"Howl" 


SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  31 

"  I  (lid  not  see  the  woman,  I  only  heard  her — she 
was  singing." 

"  Then  you  followed  her  voice  to  the  lake?" 

••Yes;  I  followed  her  voice,  and  the  music  of  her 
SiK^era — she  was  playing  the  guitar.'' 

The  hunter  was  silent  a  moment,  thinking  deeply. 
Then  he  asked  : 

<;  What  else  did  ye  hear  ?  and  did  yo  see  any  one 
while  at  the  lake  ?"  * 

The  young  man  answered  without  hesitation. 

"  When  I  approached  the  lake  the  music  ceased, 
the  voice  of  the  woman  died  away,  and  all  was  still." 

•'  What  next  ?     Did  ye  see  any  one  ?" 

''  Yes,  I  saw  a  man  sitting  in  a  canoe,  fishing. 
The  man  was  black." 

•4  Did  he  say  anything  to  you  ?" 

;  I  spoke  to  him,  and  he  answered  me  ;  he  was  not 
very  talkative." 

The  hunter's  eyes  glittered. 

••  What  did  the  mar.  say  T'  he  asked.  "  Anything 
about  the  woman  T' 

"  I  asked  him  if  he  had  heard  the  voice  of  a  woman 
singing,  and  he  said  he  had  not.  Then  I  thought  I 
had  been  dreaming,  or  had  imagined  it  all.  A  strange 
dream,  though,  I  think,  very  strange." 

"  Yes,  very  strange,  very  strange/'  repeated  the 
hunter,  musingly.  •''  I  think  you  must  have  been 
dreaming.  You  heard  nothing;  no  woman  was  there. 
I  am  sure  no  woman  was  there,  and  .that  you  heard 
nothing,  very  sure." 

But  a  minute  afterward,  Edward  Hale  heard  the 
strange  old  man  whispering  to  himself,  and  what  he 
said  was  this : 

"  Marguret,  my  Margaret.  God  bless  her  and  keep 
her  from  harm." 

Then  he  shouldered    his  rifle,    and    with   a 
"  Come  on  "  to  his  young  companion,  moved 
away. 

Retailing  the  prairie  in  a  few  minutes  they  halted, 
w_«i  Slashaway 


82  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

'"  This  timber  won't  be  very  healthy  for  us  in  an 
lour  from  now,  so  I  guess  \ve  had  better  leave. 
Sandy  Jim  had  a  crowd  of  followers,  and  they'll  bo 
looking  for  1/im,  I  reckon,  before  very  long.  The 
redskins,  too,  are  very  likely  to  be  around  here  pretty 
soon.  Come  on.  I  will  guide  you  to  my  home." 

Without  more  ado,  the  two  men  struck  out  boldly 
over  the  level  plain,  and  soon  the  wood,  with  all  its 
mysteries,  was  so  far  behind  as  to  be  scarcely  seen. 

'•  We'll  come  to  a  leetle  river  pretty  soon,  my  lad/' 
remarked  the  old,  hunter,  as  they  journeyed  along. 
"  The  land  grows  more  mountainous  every  minute, 
ana  pretty  soon  we'll  reach  a  strip  o'  timber,  and  then 
a  liver.  You  see  I  know  this  country  very  well. 
The  reason  is,  I've  lived  here  ten  years  or  more — 
Jived  right  here.'' 

In  a  few  minutes  more  the  river  spoken  of  by  the 
hunter,  flowed  at  their  feet.  It  was  a  beautiful  stream, 
quite  narrow,  but  very  deep  and  rapid. 

"  Now  what's  to  be  done,"  spoke  up  Edward  Halo, 
as  they  carne  to  a  halt  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 
li  Shall  we  go  down  or  up?'7 

il  Down,'7  replied  r,he  hunter,  quickly  •  C(  but  not  as 
we  have  been  traveling — afoot.  I've  got  a  canoe  bore 
somewhere,  that  we'll  do  well  to  use.  We  can't  af- 
ford to  walk  when  we  can  ride.'' 

Without  much  difficulty,  Slashaway  found  the  boat 
which  lie  had  hidden  some  time  before,  and  without 
delay  the  two  men  got  into  it,  and  the  hunter,  seizing 
the  oars,  guided  the  frail  bark  down  the  stream. 

But  this  was  only  for  a  little  while.  Before  Edward 
Hale  knew  what  his  companion  was  about,  the  boat 
was  turned  into  a  sort  of  harbor  or  indentation  in  tbd 
shore  and  brought  to  a  full  stop. 

"  Here's  where  we  land/7  said  the  old  hunter,  quietly 
dropping  the  oars  in  the  canoe.  "  Follow  me." 

The  hunter  sprang  ashore.  Edward  Hale  followed 
Ins  example,  and  together  the  two  men  pulled  th'a 
cacoe  ashore. 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS  So 

Then  they  started  for  the  hunter's  home,  distance 
about  half  a  mile  away. 

"I  live  here  part  o'  the  time,  and  part  o'  the  time 
somewhere  else,"  remarked  the  old  man  as  they  neared 
his  place  of  abode.  "My  residence  is  a  hole  in  the 
ground,  or,  if  you  please,  a  cave." 

Halting  at  the  foot  of  what  seemed  to  bo  a  huge 
pile  of  rocks,  the  hunter  suddenly  stooped  down  and 
began  to  examine,  though  with  considerable  agitation, 
a  number  of  footprints  in  the  sand. 

"  Mighty  strange,  mighty  queer  and  strange,"  he 
muttered,  at  length,  rising  to  his  feet  and  glancing 
furtively  about  him.  "  1  didn't  think  the  red  imps 
cunning  enough  to  find  my  hiding-place.  Howsum- 
ever,  the  rascals  have  been  here,  for  look  at  the  moc- 
casin tracks  in  the  sand.  Thunder,  I  am  almost  afraid 
to  go  in,  for  the  sheband,  for  all  I  know,  ID  ay  be 
packed  with  redskins." 

Several  times  the  hunter  walked  around  his  ocky 
fortress,  but  seeing  nothing  further  of  a  auspicious 
nature,  he  quietly  removed  a  large,  flat  stone  from  a 
narrow,  upright  fissure  or  crevice  in  the  rocky  ledge, 
and  closely  followed  by  his  young  companion,  made 
his  way  within,  closed  the  opening  with  a  rock  as 
large  as  the  one  on  the  outside,  struck  a  light,  then 
turning*  to  his  young  friend  who  stood  an  amazed  and 
silent  spectator  of  the  hunter's  movements,  said,  with 
a  quiet  smile  : 

u  You    see    my    dwelling    is    no    one-horso    affair. 
•  Everything  is   dry,  clean,  and  comfortable.     Here   I 
-i  live  and  ask  nothing  of  no  one.     But   I  don't   intend 
j  to  live  here  always,  I'm  sure  I  don't,  very  sure  !" 
']      Something  in  the   hunter's  voice,  or  in  the  way  he 
^  wound   up  his  remark,  brought  to  the  memory  of  Ed- 
J  ward  Hale,  his  first  meeting  with  the  strange,  old  man, 
the  facts  that  he  had  learned  about  him   at  the  settle- 
ment, the  warning  that  had   been   given  him   couched 
in  the  words :  "  Look  out  for  Slash  a  way,  the  Fearless, 
.ibe  is  rnad,"  and  many  other  things  associated  in  some 
way  or  other  with  his  strange  companion. 


34  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

u  Your  cave  is  as  comfortable  as  a  cave  can  be,* 
uaid  the  young  man  at  length,  tl  bat  I  agree  with  you 
when  you  eay  you  shan't  live  here  always.  In  "my 
©pinion  the  redskins  will  assist  you  to  remove,  and 
that,  too,  in  a  very  short  time.  Mercy  !  look  at  those 
eyes.  We  are  not  alone.  That  black  object — what 
is  it  ?  Look,  look  !" 

A  low  growl  from  one  corner  of  the  room  broke 
forth  at  this  instant,  and  almost  immediately  following, 
a  monster-looking  object,  nothing  less  than  a  huge, 
black  bear,  rolled  from  the  darkness,  and  stood  with 
extended  jaws  and  glaring  eyes  looking  from  one  to 
the  other  of  the  astonished  men. 

"  A  horrible  monster,"  cried  young  Hale,  as  soon 
as  he  could  get  his  breath.  "  Let  me  put  a  bullet 
through  his  brain.'' 

But  when  he  saw  the  old  hunter  rush  forward  and 
throw  his  arms  around  the  monster's  neck  and  caress 
liin  as  he  would  a  child,  he  lowered  his  rifle  and 
stared  at  the  man  and  the  bear  with  a  look  of  terror 
and  surprise. 

"  Mad  as  the  wind,"  at  length  he  said ;  "  Slash- 
away,  the  Fearless,  is  mad,  mad.  I  must  kill  the 
brute,  or  the  hunter  will  be  torn  into  pieces  before  my 
eyes." 

The  young  man  drew  his  hunting-knife  from  his 
belt,  and  rushed  forward  ;  but  before  he  could  thrust 
it  into  the  bear,  the  hunter  caught  him  by  the  arm, 
and  fairly  yelled  in  his  ear  : 

"  You  young  villain,  what  do  ye  mean  ?  Would 
you  kill  my  best  friend  ?  Then  murder  this  harmless 
fceast." 

"  Mad,  mad,  crazy  as  a  loon,"  whispered  Edward 
Hale,  with  his  hunting-knife  still  uplifted,  and  his 
eyes  riveted  on  the  hunter's  face.  Do '  you  want  that 
ugly  beast  to  strangle  you  ?" 

"  Harmless  as  a  kitten,"  returned  Slashaway, 
quietly.  "  Young  man,  this  bear  is  one  of  the  best 
friends  I  ever  had,  and  though  his  name  is  Tempest, 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  35 

he's  as  quiet  and  docile  when  unprovoked  as  any  ona 
could  wish." 

"  And  is  he  yours — this  bear,  this  Tempest  ?". in- 
quired young  Hale,  slowly  sheathing  his  knife. 

"Mine?  No,  he  belongs  to  the  Hermit  of  Spectre 
Isle." 

When  the  hunter  said   this,  he  turned   his  eyes  on 

his  companion^  face,  and   looked   closely  to  see  what 

effect  his  words  would   produce,  and    he  was  not  sur~ 

i  prised  when   he  s&w  his   young   friend  start;  and   lose 

jf  for  an  instant  his  self-possession. 

"  He  suspicions  something  the  young  buck  does/' 
whispered  Slashaway,  to  himselt ;  "  but  1  think  he 
only  heard  her  sing  and  play  ;  he  didn't  see  her — 
Marguret,  my  Margaret.  But  I've  no  time  to  fool 
away.  Something's  gone  wrong  over  there,  and  I  arn 
wanted.  How  do  I  know  ?  Tempest,  the  Hermii'a 
bear,  brings  me  the  news.  I  was  badly  fooled  when 
I  thought  my  home  had  been  visited  by  redskins;  it 
was  the  Hermit  who  made  the  tracks  in  the  sand.  He 
entered  my  cave,  the  Hermit  did,  found  me  gone,  then 
he  went  out  and  left  the  bear  in  to  tell  me  that  some- 
thing had  gone  wrong — with  Marguret.  Heavens ! 
what  if  the  red  imps  have  been  there  ?  It  frighten* 
roe  to  think  of  it.  I  must  be  oft1  at  once." 

He  removed  a  stone  from  a  niche  in  the  wall  to  let 
the  sunlight  in,  blew  out  his  torch,  and  started  for  tha 
entrance  of  the  cave  without  a  word. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?;;  asked  young  Hale, 
quick lyf  as  the  old  man  reached  the  door  or  entrance 
of  the  cave.  "What  has  happened  to  disturb  you?" 

The  old  hunter  answered  without  looking  up. 

"  I  am  going  to  Spectre  Isle.     The  old  Hermit  has 
[  cent  for  me." 

*       "And  am  I  not  going  with  you  ?"  asked  the  young 
aoan,  a  little  confused. 

Slashaway  replied  in  the  same  quiet  tone  as  before. 

*'  I  am  going  alone — I  and  the  bear.  This  cave  is 
t£  safe  a  place  as  you  can  find,  and  here  you  can  staj 


86  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

as  Jong  as  you  wish.     Plenty  of  food,  plenty  of  every* 
tiling1  j   make  yourself  at  home." 

Seemingly  anxious  to  avoid  being  questioned,  the 
hunter  pushed  his  way  out  of  the  cave,  and  with  the 
bear,  Tempest,  at  his  side,  proceeded  to  the  river, 
launched  his  boat,  sprang  in,  seized  the  oars,  and  with 
a  word  to  Tempest,  seated  in  the  prow  of  the  canoe, 
rowed  swiftly  and  silently  away. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FIGHT,    FLIGHT,    AND    CAPTURE. 

"  I  DON'T  know  what  to  make  of  him,  I  really 
don't/'  said  Edward  Hale,  as  soon  as  Slashaway,  the 
Fearless,  was  out  of  sight  and  hearing.  "  Sometimes 
I  think  him  sane  enough,  and  then  again  I  can't  but 
think  that  he  is  mad.  Anyway,  it's  just  as  well  that 
he  has  gone,  and  that  1  am  alone.  Now  I'll  get  my 
traps  together,  and  Slashaway  shall  see  me  no  more." 

But  at  this  moment  the  woman  of  Spectre  Isle,  with 
her  beautiful,  bell-like  voice,  came  into  the  young 
m-in's  mind,  and,  for  some  reason  or  other,  his  deter- 
'inination  to  leave  all  behind  him,  the  woman  included, 
an;!  be  off,'  was  abandoned  in  an  instant. 

"I'll  risk  the  old  hunter's  madness/'  he  said,  "and 
stay  until  the  woman  of  Spectre  Isle  ceases  to  be  a 
ihnig  of  doubt.  Ah,  I  have  it  now.  I'll  follow  the 
<•:<!  hunter  to  the  luke,  and  do  what  I  can  at  once  to 
si'lvo  the  mystery." 


STASIIAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  3? 

Acting  on  this  latter  thought,  the  young  man  seized 
Lis  rifle,  and  quickly  crawled  out  of  the  cave. 

After  looking  around  him  a  spell,  he  shouldered  his 
gun,  and  without  knowing  exactly  what  direction  to 
ake.  ra  oved  rapidly  away. 

"  I  think  I  am  going  right,"  he  muttered,  after 
walking  a  distance  of  several  yards.  "I  guess  I 
know  what  I'm  about." 

But  in  this  he  was  mistaken,  for  he  was  completely 
turned  around  ;  in  fact,  he  was  lost  without  knowing 
it. 

Still  he  continued  to  advance,  wandered  about  for 
several  hours,  and  at  last  halted,  with  a  feeling  of 
dread  creeping  over  hi  in. 

After  a  short  pause  he  went  on,  but  swifter  than  he 
lad  gone  before,  in  fact,  on  a  full  run,  and  for  this 
reason  :  A  dozen  or  more  well-mounted  redskins  were 
in  pursuit. 

True,  they  were  half  a  mile  or  so  away,  but  they 
were  mounted,  and  being  mounted,  every  bound  they 
made,  brough  them  nearer  the  man  on  foot. 

Knowing  full  well  what  it  was  to  fall  into  the 
clutches  of  such  monsters,  Edward  Hale  exerted  him- 
self to  the  utmost  to  escape  ,•  he  fairly  flew  over  the 
ground,  but  it  answered  him  not,  the  redskins  would 
soon  be  upon  him. 

"  Heaven  save  me  from  them,"  cried  the  young  man, 
with  his  heart  in  his  throat.  "  God  help  me  I  they 
are  almost  up  to  me.  What  shall  1  do  ?" 

"  Why  run  ye  lunatic,  run  as  tho7  all  the  imps  in 
hell  war  arter  ye/'  exclaimed  a  voice  at  this  instant 
close  to  his  ear. 

As  if  he  had  been  shot,  Edward  Hale  stopped  run 
Diner,  and  stared  mutely  around  him. 

"  Who's  chasm'  uv  ye,  my  innocence  fw  said  the 
•voice,  louder  than  before. 

This  time  the  young  man  followed  the-  voice  to  his 
source,  and  saw  for  the  first  time  that  he  was  on  the 
bank  of  a  small  stream,  also  that  there  was  a  canoe 


8S  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

right  before  him,  and  in  the  canoe  a  man — tho  maa 
who  bad  spoken. 

When  be  taw  the  man,  our  hero  rushed  to  him  and 
cried  : 

"  The  redskins  !  the  redskins  !  What  shall  I  do  ? 
What  can  I  do  f ' 

The  stranger's  face,  which  at  first  was  pleasant,  sud- 
denly assumed  a  scowling  aspect,  but  his  voice  said 
softly  : 

"  Pile  in  yer,  sonny,  an'  we'll  try  tu  git  away  from 
?em.  I'm  sorry  the  red  varmints  are  chasin'  uv  ye.w 

Edward  Hale  did  not  need  a  second  invitation,  but 
got  into  the  boat  without  delay,  and  not  a  moment  too 
soon,  for  the  redskins,  at  this  juncture,  dashed  down  to 
the  river,  yelling  like  fiends. 

But  when  they  got  to  the  river's  edge,  young  Hale 
and  his  new-found  friend  were  fifty  yards  away,  rowing 
with  all  their  strength. 

Wild  with  rage,  the  Indians  sent  a  volley  of  rifle- 
shots after  them,  but  warned  by  the  trapper,  the  men 
fell  down  in  the  boat,  and  thus  escaped  unharmed;, 

"Now  take  us  ef  ye  kin,  ye  rascals,"  said  the  trap- 
per, as  the  redskins  began  to  howl  with  disappoint- 
ment. "The  red  bucks  are  all  in  a  muddle,  they 
don't  know  what  tu  do." 

"  But  their  horses  are  fleet/'  suggested  young  Hale, 
"  and  they  may  overtake  us  yet — by  land." 

The  stranger  sai<l  nothing;  but  tossed  his  head  on 
either  side  of  him  as  much  as  to  say.  "  Look  at  the 
shore." 

The  young  man  rtid  so,  and  for  the  first  time  noticed 
that  all  along  the  river  were  trees,  rocks,  brush,  and 
little  mounds,  impassable  barriers  to  men  on  horseback. 

"  The  red  cusses  kiu  foller  us  only  by  water,  young 
man/7  at  length  spoke  up  the  stranger.  li  Ef  they 
hed  a  boat ,." 

11  They've  got  one.  Look  !  look  !"  cried  Edward 
Hale,  all  of  a  sudden.  "The  redskins  are  right  be- 
hind v.s." 

The  trapper  glanced  quickly  around,  then  ho  settled 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  39 

himself  in  the  canoe,  and  said  in  a  voice  low  but  firm  * 

"  Ye  speak  the  truth,  my  lad,  the  red  critters  are 
ehasin7  us.  I  didn't  think  they  could  find  thor  canoe, 
but  they  found  it.  Ther  boat  war  in  ther  bushes  near 
ther  stream.  It  was  Saul  Slashaway's  boat — Saul 
Slashaway's  and  mine.  Mighty  Moses,  how  the  red 
bucks  yell." 

Yelling,  screaming,  and  shouting,  the  blood-thirsty 
Sioux  worked  like  madmen  at  the  oars,  and  every 
sweep  they  made  seemed  to  lessen  the  distance  be- 
tween their  victims  and  themselves. 

"  It's  all  up  with  us,"  said  Edward  Hale,  as  he 
noticed  how  rapidly  the  redskins  were  gaining  on 
them.  "  Look  out  there,  my  friend,  they're  going  to 
ehoot !'; 

As  he  spoke,  the  young  man  fell  flat  on  his  face  in 
the  bottom  of  the  boat,  while  almost  instantly  a  volley 
of  rifle  shots  hissed  above  him. 

Failing  to  bring  them  down  by  shooting  at  them, 
the  redskins  redoubled  their  efforts  at  the  oars,  expect- 
ing in  a  few  minutes  to  capture  them,  or  get  so  near 
them  that  they  could  shoot  them  down  at  will. 

But  the  whites  worked  gallantly,  and  for  the  dis- 
tance of  half  a  mile,  held  their  own. 

Then  they  lost  strength,  and  the  redskins  gained 
on  them  rapidly,  until  at  last  the  fugitives,  knowing 
full  well  that  to  remain  longer  on  the  water  was  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  their  merciless  foes,  took  to  the 
shore,  hoping  to  find  a  hiding-place  somewhere  among 
the  rocks. 

And  they  found  one,  or  rather  a  place  of  defense, 
and  they  found  it  not  a  moment  too  soon,  for  the  red- 
skins were  sooii  closing  around  them,  yelling  lika 
fiends. 

In  a  sort  of  recess  or  indentation  in  a  rocky  ledge, 
the  whites  retreated,  and  by  rolling  three  or  four  huge 
boulders  before  them,  a  fortress,  tolerably  secure^  waa 
made. 

"It's  the  best  we  kin  du,  young  man,"  whispered 
the  trapper,  as  he  inspected  the  priming  of  his  rifle. 


40  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

"It  ain't  at  all  likely  thet  we'll  git  off  'ithout  * 
scratch  or  two,  but  we'll  fling  a  leetle  lead  at  th® 
varmints  jist  fer  fun.  Look  sharp  thar,  now,  an'  don't 
shoot  until  ye  git  a  darn  good  aim.  Here  they  come." 

Whooping    and     howling,    the    painted    monsters 
emerged   from  the  rocks,  and  with  a  recklessness  that  f 
boded  evil  to  the  whiter,  dashed   toward   them  •  but ! 
•when   they  saw  the  rifles  of  the  fugitives   gleaming 
over  the   rocks,   they   halted  abruptly,   and,  coward- 
like,  quickly  withdrew  to  a  safer  distance. 

"  They  don't  like  the  locks  of  things,  the  rascals," 
remarked  Edward  Hale,  with  some  sfxtisfaclion  at  the 
way  the  redskins  scampered  away.  "  It  wouldn't  sur- 
prise me  if  they  troubled  us  no  more.  Anyway,  that's 
the  cast  things  have  at  present.  What  say  vou;  my 
friend  f" 

The  young  man  turned  on  the  trapper  an  inquiring 
look,  and  for  the  first  time  noticed  his  height,  general 
appearance,  and  attire. 

The  man  was   over  six   feet   in   height,  very  slim, 
quite  muscular,  long  arms,  long  legs,  long  fingers  and 
hands,  a  beardless  face,  set  oif  with  keen,  grey  eyes, 
and  a  nose   slightly    aquiline  and   very   sarcastic — a 
face  at  once  cold,  cunning,  and  determined, 
i      The   trapper's   dress  was   of  buckskin,  all   but   the 
cap,  and  that  was  made  of  the  fur  of  a  wildcat, 
i      The  name  of  his  new-found  friend,  as  Edward  after- 
ward learned,  was  Robert  Blake,  nicknamed,  for  some 
unaccountable  reason,  Onion  Bob. 

,      And   "Onion   B,"    as    we   shall   call   him,    wns   an 
original  character,  as  the  reader  will  soon  perceive, 
•      "So  ye  think  we're  through  'ith  'em,  do  ye?"  said  f 
the  hunter,  after  surveying  the  young  man  from  head  f 
to  foot;  "  think  they've  dug  out*  tor  keeps  f  \ 

"It  seems  so/'  replied  Hale,  quickly,  "  though  I 
don't  know  for  sure/'  \ 

The  hunter  gave  a  laugh  that  sounded  very  ranch 
like  a  snort. 

"  Yas,  I'm  quite  sure  ye  don't  know,  myself,*  ha 
Said,  whilo  his  eye  twinkled  merrily.  "  Why,. ye  lea- 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  41 

tV  blubber,  the  red  varmints  hev  jist  opened  tlie  fray. 
LX;n't.  fool  verse  If  about  'em  leavin',  but  git  yer  popper 
in  sihooiiu'  order,  an'  look  out  i'er  squalls.  The  painted 
murderers  'ill  come  in  sight  directly." 

And  the  hunter  ivas  right.  The  redskins  suddenly 
fchowed  themselves  in  quite  formidable  numbers,  and 
thinking  to  take  the  whites  by  a  determined  charge, 
with  blood-curdling  veils  rushed  toward  them. 

But  the  whites  were  on  the  alert,  and  one  of  them, 
Edward  Hale,  took  a  quick  aim  at  the  foremost  sav- 
age, pulled  trigger,  and,  strange  to  say,  brought  him 
to  the  ground. 

At  this  the  savages  suddenly  became  convinced  that 
there  was  danger  ahead  of  them,  so  seizing  their  fallen 
comrade,  they  turned  and  sought  safety  by  a  precipi- 
tate retreat. 

•"  One  redskin  less  to  fight,"  gaid  young  Hale, 
coolly  leloading  his  rifle.  "  The  tirst  good  shot  I 
ever  made." 

"  A  noble  shot,  anyway,"  it-joined  OriK-r.  Bob;  but 
lie  added  to  himself:  "  I'm  mighty  ;fraid  he  can't  di> 
it  agin;  it  looked  wery  much  like  an  accident.  IIou- 
gumever,  time  will  tell." 

Not  willing  to  expose  themselves  to  the  mnrderor.s 
fire  of  the  whites,  the  redskins  remained  quiet  for 
some  time,  doubtless  deep  in  the  formation  of  a  plan, 
whereby  the  fugitives  could  be  brought  to  terms. 

"  It  wou't  last  long,  this  quiet, ';  said  the  tall  hunter, 

with    his  eagle  eye  taking  in  everything  around  him. 

•  "  They're   too  sharp    tu   attack   us    agin    in   an   open 

manner,  so  look  out  for  tricks.     Thunder  an'  lightniu' ! 

,  B'ars  an'  buffelers  !     Lord  !" 

I      "What  is  it?     What   do  you  see  ?"  cried   Edward 
f  Hale,  springing  up  and  cocking  his  rifie.     "  Anything1 
cut  of  the  way  7" 

"  I  should  think  so.  Look  at  that  large  rock  yonder.'' 

"Where?" 

"  Near  thet  scraggy  tree." 

"Well,  what  of  It  f" 

h;  I   seed    the    bull   tbing   guv  a  suddint 


SLASH  A  WAT,  THE  FEARLESS. 

an'  roll  right  over.     It  is  round,  ye  see,  almost 
round.     Look,  thar  it  goes  agin." 

And  sure  enough,  the  rock  in  question  suddenly  be- 
gan to  move,  and  being  almost  round,  rolled  over  sev- 
eral times  without  stopping. 

"  Some  one's  behind  it  pushing  it,"  suggested  Ed- 
ward Hale  j  "  an  Indian  warrior,  likely. *' 

"Five  uv  thej;  red  apes,  more  likely,"  replied  the 
trapper,  quickly.  "  Don't  ye  see  tbe  rook  ar  mighty 
big?" 

"  Big  enough  foi  the  purpose  they  have  in  view,  no 
doubt,"  replied  the  young  man,  after  a  moment's 
silence.  "  There  it  goes  again.  Look  !" 

Once  more  tbe  rock  rolled  over,  then  again  and 
again,  and  at  every  turn,  Onion  Bob  uttered  a  quiet 
curse. 

"  The  miserable  devils  are  comin'  for  us  as  straight 
as  a  string,"  he  growled,  "  an'  what's  more,  I  don't 
know  how  to  stop  'em.  Ef  it  war  a  tree  we  could 
shoot  through  it — but  a  rock — I'm  mighty  'fraid  it's  all 
up  'ith  us." 

It  was  a  neat  trick  of  tbe  redskins — this  rock  busi- 
ness— and  completely  upset  tbe  calculations  of  the 
whites,  and  put  them  at  their  wits  end, 

"  We  can't  stop  the  red  rascals,  in  my  opinion,"  said 
young  Hale,  fixing  bis  eyes  on  tbe  rock.  "  What 
shall  we  do  f  Stick  here  and  fight  ?" 

"  I  reckon  thet's  about  all  we  kin  du,"  replied  the 
hunter,  with  considerable  nervousness  in  his  looks  and 
actions.  "  Thar's  no  use  o'  runnin'." 

"  And  if  we  stay  and  fight  ?" 

"  Thar's  a  big  chance  o'  us  gittin'  killed  and  scalped. 
Howsumever,  we  mought  as  well  stick  to  it,  au'  do  the 
best  we  kin.  Thar's  notbiu'  like  tryin'.  What  do  ye 
say"  Shall  we  stick,  run,  or  cave  in." 

*"  Stick,"  replied  Edward,  shortly.  "  Let  us  die 
fighting." 

With  this  deterr.i 5 nation  tho  two  men  began  to  pre- 
pare themselves  for  tho  coming  "truggle. 

The  hunter  put  asi^  big  ^un.  and  t;.king   from  his 


SLASHAWAT,  THE  FEARLESS.  43 

belt  a  long-bladed  knife,  and  a  revolver  of  almost 
equal  length,  examined  them  both  very  carefully,  after 
which  lie  said : 

"  Keep  yer  eyes  on  the  rock,  young  man,  an*  the 
fust  head  ye  see,  blaze  away  at  it.  I  ain't  so  much 
afraid  uv  these  chaps  as  I  am  uv  tae  fellers  what's 
waitin  back  vender  in  the  brush.  We  may  scare 
these  rascals  off,  but  the  others — I  don't  know,  I  don't 
know." 

Determined  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible, 
onr  two  friends  waited  the  slow  approacli  of  the  rock, 
and  as  it  came  nearer  and  nearer,  they  grew  impatient 
f»*r  the  struggle,  which  they  well  knew  would  be  ona 
fc<  life  or  death. 

Five  minutes  passed.  The  wily  redskins  were  well 
aware  that  the  palefaces  were  awaiting  their  approach, 
so  they  made  no  attempt  at  silence,  but  as  they  pushed 
and  urged  the  rock  along,  curses  loud  and  deep,  shouts 
and  yells,  issued  from  their  throats. 

"  The  painted  imps  make  noise  enough,"  said  young 
Hale,  as  the  redskins  gave  a  sudden  yell.  "Look 
there,  what  do  you  think  of  that  ?  They  can  roll  toe 
rock  no  further,  it  has  struck  against  a  tree/' 

It  was  even  so.  The  rock  had  come  in  contact  with 
a  low,  dwarf  tree  or  shrub,  and  lay,  an  immovable 
weight,  within  a  dozen  yards  of  the  rocky  fortress  of 
the  trapper  and  his  young  companion. 

Finding  themselves  in  a  measure  defeated,  the 
painted  rascals  began  to  howl  at  the  top  of  their  voices, 
while  the  whites,  overjoyed  at  the  discomfiture  ot  their 
savage  foes,  sent  up  a  shout  that  made  the  rocks  ring. 

"  I  reckon  we've  got  'em,"  laughed  Onion  Bob,  at 
]  last,  "  an*  in  more  ways  than  ono.  What  think  ye, 
sonny  t?; 

"  I  think  they'll  find  some  trouble  in  getting  back," 
xvas  the  quick  reply.  "  They  can't  hide  behind  a 
rock  in  going  back,  not  very  much  they  can't/' 

"  Aft'  it  won't  do  tu  git  up  an'  run,"  suggested  the 
trapper,  with  a  quiet  chuckle.  "  In  mv  opinion,  all 


44  SLA3HAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

they  kin  do  is    to  lay  thai  and  wait    for  re-enforc4* 

ments." 

"  Which  they  intend  to  do,  I  reckon,  by  the  look* 
of  tilings,"  put  in  the  young  man.  "  It  would  do  rna 
good  to  get  a  pop  at  one  of  'em." 

"  You'll  liev  a  chance  pretty  soon,"  rejoined  the 
hunter,  quietly.  t{  Do  ye  see  anythin'  tu  yer  left  ?" 

The  young  man  turned  his  eyes  in  the  direction  in- 
dicated by  his  companion,  gave  a  quick  glance  then 
turned  and  said  : 

"  The  red  imps  are  coming  to  the  assistance  of  their 
friends.  They  will  make  a  rush  at  us  pretty  soon  in. 
order  to  give  these  scoundrels,  )mps,  in  front  of  ua  a 
chance  to  pick  us  off.  "What  shall  we  do?" 

"  Fight  'em,  in  course,'7  replied  the  trapper,  quickly. 
"  You  see  to  the  chaps  behind  the  rock,  watch  'e*n 
clus,  an'  I'll  settle  the  hash  o'  the  others." 

The  foremost  of  the  redskins,  or  chief  of  the  band, 
at  this  moment  yelled  something  in  the  Indian  tongue, 
and  at  once  dashed  forward  with  a  terrible  cry,  fol- 
lowed by  all  his  braves. 

But  he  paid  for  his  boldness  with  his  life,  for  scarcely 
Lad  lie  advanced  a  dozen  paces,  when  the  hunter's 
rifle  sprang  to  his  shoulder,  a  quick  aim  followed,  a 
report  keen  and  startling  rang  out  upon  the  air,  and 
uith  a  shriek,  a  gurgle,  and  a  groan,  the  painted 
wretch  threw  up  his  hands,  and  fell  to  the  ground, 
dead  as  a  stone. 

Seeing  their  leader  fall,  the  redskins  did  not,  as  is 
usual  in  such  cases,  turn  and  run,  but  with  maddening 
cries  of  rage,  rushed  forward  to  avenge  his  death. 

Then  it  was  that  the  whites  felt  that  the  time  of 
life  or  death  had  come,  and  with  a  bravery  unsur- 
passed in  Indian  warfare,  stood  firmly  at  their  posts. 

A  second  of  time  went  by,  then  Onion  Bob  agaki 
brought  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder,  and  once  more  a  sav- 
age monster  bit  the  dust. 

This  time  the  redskins  quailed,  and  \\ith  a  wild  ciy 
of  mingled  rage  and  disappointment,  turned  and  fied 
pell-mell  back  to  their  retreat. 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS  45     . 

The  fight  was  over.  The  redskins  behind  the  rock, 
with  the  cowardly  instincts  of  their  race,  moved  not 
in  behalf  of  their  more  courageous  friends,  nor  made  a 
single  effort  to  leave  their  dangerous  concealment. 

This  the  Indians  in  the  bushes  noticed,  and  it  made 
them  wild  with  rage. 

The  whites  could  hear  them  cursing  among  them- 
selves, but  what  they  intended  to  do  to  relieve  the 
redskins  behind  the  rock  from  their  embarrassing  posi- 
tion, or  whether  they  intended  to  do  anything,  was 
more  than  they  could  tell. 

"It  wouldn't  surprise  me  if  they  went  off  and  left 
'em,  the  cowardly  rascals/'  at  last  spoke  up  Edward 
Hale.  "  It  would  be  paying  them  up  in  their  own 
coin.  I  really  wish  they  would." 

Five  minutes  passed.     Then   the  hunter, noticed   a 
huge  warrior  coming  toward  him,  bearing  something 
white  in   his  hand,  which  he   soon  saw  was   a  flag  of  ' 
truce. 

"  They  want  ter  make  peace,'7  whispered  he  to  the 
young  man,  as  he  called  his  attention  to  the  approach- 
ing savage.  lt  Howsumever " 

The  redskin  suddenly  halted,  and  cried  out,  in 
broken  English  : 

"  Red  man  ready  to  talk.  What  say  palefaces  ? 
Won't  hurt  nobody.  Talk  much,  talk  little,  talk  good 
deal." 

"What  do  ye  want  tu  talk  about,  ole  moonshine  ?" 
returned  Onion  Bob,  in  an  angry  voice.  "  Hev  yo 
got  a  pain  somewhar,  an'  want  td  be  relieved  from 
duty  •?» 

"No  pain,  no  nothing,"  replied  the  Indian,  shaking 
Lis  head.  "  Red  warrior  mightv  cross,  feel  mighty 
ugly." 

The  trapper  laughed  sarcastically. 

"  Yas,  I  reckon  ye  do  feel  ugly,"  he  said,  at  length, 
"  an'  ye  hev  reason  tu.  Ef  a  couple  o'  my  friends 
bed  been  busted  afore  my  eyes,  I'd  feel  ugly,  tu. 
But  say  yer  say,  my  posy,  durued  quick,  an'  be  off. 
Are  ye  hungry  ?" 


46  8LASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

"No  hungry,  no  nothing/1  returned-' the  redskity 
sharply,  "  only  mad." 

"  What  fer  are  ye  mad  f ' 

"Big  red  cowards  behind  lock,  no  good,  ought  to 
die.  login  help  ;em  no  more,  but  let  white  chaps 
kill 'em.  Will  doit!" 

The  trapper  divined  at  once  that  the  redskins  in- 
tended to  abandon  their  comrades  behind  the  rock,  so 
lie  answered  with  a  will : 

"Kill 'em?'  Of  course  we  will.  Jist  you  an' the 
rest  take  yerselves  off,  an',  an'  we'll  fix  'em.  They 
played'' it  pretty  low  on  yon,  the  cowards.  Oh,' it's  aH 
right ;  we'll  see  to  'em ;  don't  trouble  yerself  about 
tliet." 

Apparently  satisfied,  the  savage  returned  to  his 
friends,  and  to  the  astonishment  of  both  Edward  and 
the  huntfer,  the  whole  painted  crowd  in  a  few  minutes 
began  to  move  slowly  over  the  prairie. 

At  first  the  redskins  behind  the  rock  could  not  be- 
Jieve  their  eyes,  for  none  of  them  understanding  Eng- 
lish, and  no  one  telling  them  in  their  native  tongue, 
it  was  not  possible  for  them  to  know  the  why  or 
•wherefore  of  the  case  in  question. 

But  tli  sy  were  not  long  in  the  shade;  over  the- 
prairie  their  comrades  in  arms  were  moving,  on,  on, 
until,  in  half  an  hours'  time,  they  could  no  longer  be 
seen. 

Then  the  abandoned  redskins,  realizing  how  matters 
stood,  began  to  wail  and  howl  like  dogs  baying  at  the- 
moon. 

This  was  too  much  for  honest  Onion  Bob,  who 
shook  his  fist  at  the  rock,  and  fairly  roared  : 

"  Halloo  {  thar,  ye  miserable,  whinin'  devils. 
What  du  ye  mean  by  kickin'  up  sich  a  racket  ?  Kim 
out,  an'  show  yer  greasy  heads,  an*  we'll  fight  it  out 
hand  tu  hand." 

The  redskins  did  not  answer,  but  one  of  them  at 
this  moment  a  little  too  frolicsome  in  his  grief,  showed 
bis  head  above  the  rock,  whereupon  Onion  Bob  quickly 
took  it  for  a  mark,  and,jjrawing  bead,  blazed  away. 


SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEAKLESS.  4f 

The  shot  proved  effective,  fur  with  an  agonizing  cry 
tbe  redskin  sprang  to  his  feet,  reeled  backward  a 
dozen  or  more  paces,  turned  ouce  and  a  half  around, 
then  with  a  gurgle  and  a  groan,  fell  forward  a  lifeless 
wwfeht  to  the  ground. 

Then  the  remaining  savages  howled  worse  than 
ever,  and  as  they  howled,  the  whites  derided  them  with 
mocking  laughter. 

"  It's  all  very  well  to  laugh,"  at  length  spoke  up 
Edward  Hale,  "  but  to  come  down  to  business,  please 
inform  me  what  we're  going  to  do  about  it.  How  are 
we  to  get  out  of  this  trap  f" 

"  Git  out  as  we  kim  in,  I  s'pose,"  replied  the  hunter, 
dryly,  "  walk  out." 

"  And  get  riddled  with  bullets/7  returned  the  young 
man,  sharp]?.  "The  moment  we  attempt  to 


"  They'll  blaze  away  at  us,  yas.'; 
"  And  the  moment  they  attempt  to  take  themselves 
off  --  » 

"  We'll  blaze  at  'em.  So  ye  see  they've  got  us  an' 
•we've  got  'ern  ;  au;  that's  mighty  leetle  to  brag  uv  on, 
either  side,  mighty  leetle.  Heavings  !" 

At  this  moment  the  savages,  without  any  warning, 
sprang  to  their  feet,  and  with  yells  that  fairly  curdled 
the  blood,  dashed  down  upon  the  whites. 
,       Then  a  hand  to   hand  conflict   ensued,  and  though 
t  of  short  duration,  it  was  a  bloody  strife. 

With  rare  presence  of  mind  Onion  Bob  seized  his 

•  revolver,   and   evading  with    wonderful   alertness   the 

I  flashing  tomahawks  of  his  foes,  emptied  every  chamber 

J  of  his  weapon  into  the  savage  crowd. 

"»      The    effect  was    murderous    in    the   extreme.     One 

hideously  painted   monster  received   A  ballet  through 

bis  head,  another  rolled  to  the  ground  his  heart  riddled 

with  balls,  while  a  third  wiUi  a  wild  shriek  and  an  up- 

ward spring,  a  bullet  wound  in   his  breast,  fell  head- 

ing to  the  ground. 

Only  one  redskin  was  left,  and  as  the  trapper  turned 


SLASH  AW  AY,  TEE  FEARLESS. 


from  his  bloody  work,  the  savage  in 
upon  him,  and  bore  him  to  the  ground. 

Then  ensued  a  terrible  struggle. 

',-'        Yells,  shrieks,  curses,  groans,  rent   the  &;t,  as   like 

I    two  blood-hbunda  the  hunter  and  the  sa?age  fonghr. 

At  length  the  redskin  got  in  a  blow  ou  the  hunter's 

head  that  almost  killed  him,  but  at  the  same  instant, 

;    the  savage   monster  received  in  return   a  thrust   from 

•  the  hunter's  knife,  that  laid  him  cold  in  death. 

Then  the  hunter  did  what  he  neve*  did  before,  bo 
i    swooned  away. 

In  a  few  minutes  consciousness  began  to  return,  and 
!    the  first  thing  he  thought  of  was  Edward  Hale. 

<•  The  young  cuss  —  whar  is  he  f  '  said  the  hunter, 
feebly. 

A  groan  answered  him. 

'•'  Dying  !"  stammered   the   hunter,  looking   around 
!    him.     "  That  he  is,  poor  fellow,  7ith  his  head  busted." 
On  the  ground  within  a  few  feet  of  the  trapper,  lay 
Edward  Hale,  apparently  dead  as  a  stone. 

Quickly  the  hunter  approached  him,  felt  of  him,  he 

,    was    warm  ;    placed  his   hand    on   his    heart,   it    flut- 

:    tered  ;  then  he  whispered  half  to  himself,  half  aloud  : 

"  The  red  buck  war  too  much  fer  him,  hit  him   on 

the  head,  nearly  killed  him.     But  he'll   kirn  to  in  a 

minute,  fer  his  lips  are  on  the  move.     Thar,  he's  goin 

tu  speak." 

The  young  man's  eyes  opened,  his  lips  moved,  and 

•  ke  said  this,  looking  straight  into  the  hunter's  face  : 

11  She  plays  the  guitar  and  sings,  and  I  thought  I 
heard  her.  Maybe  I  didn't,  though.  Her  name  is 
Margaret  !" 

He  said  no  more,  but  closing  his  eyes,  fell  back  in 
a  dead  swoon. 


SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  49 


CHAPTER   IV. 

AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 

WHEN  Edward  Hale  fainted,  Onion  Bob  quickly 
rose  to  hie  feet,  and  half  suspecting  that  bis  friend  was 
dead,  muttered  sorrowfully  : 

"  Too  bad,  too  cussed  bad.  Thar's  nothin'  I  hate 
to  see  so  much,  as  a  young  chap  'ith  his  skull  busted. 
Drtrn  me,  ef  1  don't  feel  like  blubberin'  right  out. 
But  I  must  do  somethin'  for  7im  afore  it  is  too  late. 
What  shall  I  do  ?" 

It  occurred  to  the  trapper  at  this  moment  that  there 
was  a  stream  of  water  at  no  great  distance  away,  and 
it  also  occurred  to  him  that  a  little  water  on  the  head 
and  face  of  the  young  man  might  .revive  him,  so  he 
lost  not  a  moment's  time  in  procuring  the  water,  arid 
using  it  as  above. 

And  that  his  remedy  was  a  good  one,  the  hunter 
had  reason  to  believe,  for  no  sooner  had  he  applied  it, 
than  the  young  man  began  to  show  signs  of  life,  tie 
muscles 'of  his  face  twitched  convulsively,  his  hands 
moved,  and  soon  his  eyes  opened,  his  speech  came  to 
him,  and  he  muttered,  as  one  in  a  dream  : 

"  I  have  boon  asleep,  dreaming.  I  can  see  nothing  ; 
it  is  dark.  Where  am  I,  and  who  is  Una  bending 
over  me  f" 

The  hunter  placed  his  hand  on  the  young  man's 
">'<tnil  <ler,  .and  replied  : 

^Jl's  nil  right,  ujy  lad.     Don't  bother  yerself  about 


60  SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

whar  ye  are,  bat  git  ter  yer  pins  as  soon  as  possible 
The  fight  is  over,  the  red  bucks  are  all  dead,  an'  both 
uv  our  hides,  thank  God,  are  tolerably  compact* 
Are  ye  feelin'  a  trifle  better,  my  innocence  ?" 

The  young  man  ans-wered  in  a  voice  a  little  stronger 
than  at  first : 

"  Yes,  I  am  feeling  better.  I'll  soon  be  up,  I 
reckon,  soon  be  on  my  feet.  I  must  have  had  a  ter* 
xible  fall." 

The  trapper  corrected  him  in  an  instant. 

"  It  wasn't  a  fall  ye  had,  young  man/'  he  said, 
41  not  a  fall,  but  a  whack  over  the  head  ;ith  a  darn 
big  club,  tbet  almost  busted  ye.  Thar  was  a  bloody 
fought,  ye  know.  Don't  ye  bleeve  it  ?  Then  look 
aroun;  ye;  an'  see  what  a  greasy  muss  thar  is,  an'  be 
oon  winced." 

As  Edward  Hale  looked  around  him,  he  shuddered^ 
for  he  had  never  seen  such  a  bloody  sight  before  iii 
all  his  life* 

"  Terrible,  terrible,"  he  muttered,  half  rising  to  hU 
feet.  "And  you  killed  them  all,  every  one  of  them, 
did  ye  ?" 

11  Thar's  whar  ye're  right,  young  man,"  replied  tb<$ 
trapper,  with  a  jubilant  laugh.  "  I  killed  7ern.  J  did." 

«  And  I  ? " 

"You?  Why,  you  got  a  crack  over  the  head.  ¥ 
didn't  see  ye  kill  anybody,  an'  I  guess  ye  didn't. 
Howsnmever,  it  don't  matter  now  who  did  the  killing 
one  thing  are  sartin — the  red  bucks  are  dead.  Are 
ye  able  tu  move  now,  sonny  1" 

The  young  man  rose  to  his  feet,  and  finding  that  W 
•could  stand  without  trembling,  replied  as  follows- 

"  I  can  get  along,  I  guess,  though  I  feel  anything- 
but  strong.  Where  shall  we  go  ?" 

•'  To  the  home  of  Slashaway,  the  Fearless,"  was  the 
quick  reply.  "  I've  got  business  'ith  Slashaway ." 

"But  he's  not  at  home." 

"  How  do  ye  know,  young  man  ?" 

"I    was   there   not    more    than    three    Wv»rs 
Slashaway  and  I  are  friends." 


8LA8HAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  51 

The  hunter  turned  on  his  young  companion  a  pier- 
cing :look,  and  with  more  force  in  his  voice  than  was 
really  necessary,  inquired : 

".Do  ye  tell  me  that  Slashaway  and  you  are  friends  1 
Slashaway,  the  Fearless,  is  mad— so  the  people  say — 
BO  how  kirn  ye  to  know  him  ?" 

"  By  accident,"  replied  young  Hale,  "and  by  acci- 
dent I  obtained  his  friendship.     When  we  first  met  he  t 
was   going  to  kill  me,  but   he   got  over  that   after' 
Awhile,  and  together  we   went  to  his  cave.     He  was 
very  kind  to  me." 

The  trapper  muttered  to  himself  in  an  abstracted 
manner. 

"  Strange,  very  strange,"  he  said,  "  thet  Slashaway 
ehould  take  up  'ith  a  stranger.  Still  it's  jist  as  well 
thet  the  youngster  an'  he  are  friends." 

The  hunter  wiped  the  blood  from  his  knife,  and 
shouldering  his  rifle,  with  a  quiet  •"  Come  on  "to  his 
companion,  stepped  quickly  over  the  bloody  corpses  of 
•the  redskins,  and  soon  the  two  men  were  moving 
rapidly  away  from  tho  little  fortress,  wherein  they 
had  fought  so  nobly,  and  so  nearly  lest  their  lives. 

At  length,  it  being  nearly  sundown,  they  came  to  a 
bait,  on  the  edge  of  a  slight  ravine,  and  while  Ed- 
ward collected  chips  and  sticks  with  which  to  build  a 
fire,  the  trapper  started  out  to  see  what  he  could  kill 
in  the  line  of  game. 

After  a  while  he  returned,  bearing  upon  his  back  a 
deer,  a  portion  of  which  he  sofln  bad  roasting  over  the 
fire. 

The  men  were  very  hungry,  and  as  the  meat  was 
tender  and  juicy,  they  ate  it  with  a  relish. 

After  they  had  finished  their  repast,  Edward  Hale 
made  a  move  to  go  on,  but  Onion  Bob  remarked  that 
as  it  was  nearly  night,  they  had  best  remain  where 
•they  were  until  the  opening  of  the  next  day, 

To  this  the  young  man  consented,  so  a  quantity  of 
•dry  leaves  were  gathered,  upon  which  they  could 
make  their  beds,  and  as  comfortably  as  circumstances 
would  admit,  the  two  men  lay  down  to  rest. 


52  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

But  before  he  was  quite  asleep,  Edward  Hale  in- 
quired of  the  hunter,  who  had  risen  from  the  ground, 
and  was  sitting  with  his  back  against  a  tree,  whether 
there  was  any  danger  of  being  disturbed  by  wolves. 

*'  I've  been  told  that  there  are  more  wolves  than, 
redskins  in  this  part  of  the  country,"  he  said,  "  and  if 
that  is  the  case,  wo  are  liable  to  have  a  pack  of  the 
hungry  monsters  down  upon  us  at  any  moment.  How 
is  it?  Are  there  an)'  wolves  hereabouts  ?" 

Onion  Bob  snorted  out  an  answer  in  these  words : 

11  Wolves,  young  man,  did  ye  say  ?"  Why,  blast 
ye,  the  timber  is  full  uv  'em.  Wolves  that  chaw, 
wolves  that  howl  an'  snap,  and  try  to  devour  ye — big 
wolves.  Howsumever,  I  don't  think  we'll  see  any  to- 
night, an'  why  ?  Jist  fer  this  reason  :  Thar's  four  or 
five  dead  red  bucks  not  more'n  three  miles  from  here, 
an'  thar's  whar  the  wolves  will  go.  The  critters  will 
kirn  from  miles  aroun',  an'  go  right  thar,  straight  as  a 
string." 

"  And  is  it  safe  for  us  to  go  to  sleep  f '  asked  Ed- 
ward, with  a  little  show  of  alarm.  "  Are  you  net 
afraid  ?" 

"  'Fraid  ?"  replied  the  hunter,  scornfully,  "  no  I  am 
not  afraid,  but  ye  are,  an'  tharfore  ye'd  better  go  tu 
sleep.  I'll  stay  awake  a  spell,  an'  watch  things,  an; 
ef  anythin'  suspicious  turns  up,  I'll  call  ye.  Go  tu 
sleep,  I  say,  tu  sleep." 

Being  very  tired,  the  \^oungraan  re-arranged  his  bed 
of  leaves,  and  with  his  rifle  by  his  side  in  easy  reach, 
was  soon  sound  asleep. 

u  He  kin  sleep — the  little  cuss — but  I  can't,"  said 
Onion  Bob,  as  soon  as  the  heavy  breathing  of  his  com- 
panion told  him  that  the  latter  was  asleep.  "  The 
youngster  are  mighty  tired,  I  know,  as  well  as  weak 
from  the  lickin'  he  got,  an'  I  want  him  tu  sleep  a  long 
while  an'  get  rested,  fer  thar's  no  knowin'  what's  afore 
us." 

The  hunter  ceased  speaking,  and  for  several  minutes 
remained  perfectly  motionless. 

Then  he  took  a  heavy,  dark-colored  pipe  from  his 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLKS3  53 

pocket,  and  filling  and  lighting-  it,  remarked,  as  be 
put  it  to  his  mouth  : 

"  I'll  smoke  and  watch  and  watch  and  smoke,  an' 
the  deeper  I  smoke,  the  closer  I'll  watch/' 

An  hour  passed  by.  Onion  Bob,  as  good  as  his 
word,  still  pulled  at  his  long,  black  pipe,  while  not  a 
sound,  not  even  the  dropping  of  a  leaf  escaped  him. 

At  length  about  midnight,  the  hunter  suddenly  put 
aside  his  pipe,  and  turning  his  head,  listened  at  what 
be  thought  was  the  distant  baying1  of  wolves. 

After  listening  awhile  he  straightened  up,  and 
knocking  the  ashes  from  his  pipe,  whispered  in  a  voice 
almost  inaudible : 

"  Thar's  music  in  the  air,  and  I  hear  it,  it's  the 
howlin'  uv  wolves,  an'  cuss  me,  ef  I  don't  b'lievc  the 
red-tongued  devils  are  comin'  toward  us.  Yas,  I'm 
sure  they  are,  I  hear  'em  now  'ithout  listenin'.  I 
reckon  I'd  better  guv  the  boy  a  punch  an'  notify  him 
uv  the  coming  danger." 

Taking  the  young  man  by  the  heels,  the  hunter 
cracked  the  two  together,  and  in  this  very  original 
way  aroused  Edward  from  his  slumbers. 

"  What's  the  go,  my  friend  ?"  asked  the  young  man, 
as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  speak.  "  Has  anything 
gone  wrong  f" 

"Listen  sharp,  an'  ye'll  know  'ithout  assistance 
from  me,"  answered  Onion  Bob.  "  Do  ye  hear  any- 
thin  r ' 

"  I  hear  a  variety  of  sounds/'  was  the  reply,  after  a 
.short  silence. 

"  Wai,  do  ye  hear  wolves  ?     I  do/' 

"And  they're  comin'  toward  us,"  said  the  young 
man,  with  no  apparent  notice  of  the  trapper':?  \\orus. 
"  What  shall  we  do  ?" 

"  Stay  whar  we  are,  I  reckon,"  replied  tbo  hunter. 
"  Your  shooter  is  a  good  one,  an'  so  is  mine.  V»'o 
thrashed  the  Ingins  a  while  ago,  an'  now  we'll  lick 
the  wolves." 

Attracted  by  the  fire,  as  well  as  by  the  meat  the 
hunter  had  roasted,  a  pack  of  ferocious  timber  wolves 


64  SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

carae  up  the  ravine,  and  goon  our  two  friends  had 
almost  as  much  to  fear  from  them,  as  they  had  ffom 
the  redskins  from  whom  they  had  so  recently  and  so 
miraculously  escaped. 

"  I  hadn't  calculated  on  so  many."  growled  Onion 
Bob,  as  ho  counted  at  least  a  dozen  red-tongned  boasts, 
growling  and  snapping  at  various  points  not  over  a 
rod  away.  "  Burn  'em,  how  they  howl.  Yer,  take 
this  and  begone." 

Quick  as  a  flash  the  hunter  seized  a  burning  brand, 
and  with  a  yell  meant  to  startle  the  wolves,  hurled  the 
red  torch  in  the  midst  of  the  hungry  crowd,  which  had 
the  effect  of  scattering  them  in  every  direction. 

But  they  soon  came  back,  and  fiercer  than  ever  be- 
gan to  show  their  glistening  teeth  at  Edward  and  the 
hunter,  while  at  the  same  time  they  rushed  in  and  out 
of  the  darkness,  howling  and  snarling,  snapping  and 
barking,  in  a  way  that  convinced  the  men  that  to  fall 
into  their  clutches  would  be  an  affair  serious  in  the 
extreme. 

"  It's  only  the  fire  that  keeps  'em  back,  young  man," 
said  the  hunter,  as  Halo  tossed  a  stick  or  Uo  more  on. 
the  glowing  coals.  "  It's  a  risk  tho' — this  fire — for  the 
red  bucks  might  see  it,  an'  then " 

"  It  would  be,  all  day  with  us/'  put  in  the  young 
man.  "Come  to  think  of  it,  suppose  we  let  tUe  fire 
go  out,  and  climb  a  tree.  What  do  you  sav  ?'' 

"It  might  be  a  good  plan,  and  it  might  not,"  re- 
plied the  hunter.  "  It  ain't  so  easy  climbin'  a  tree 
7ith  a  gun.'; 

"If  we  manage  it  right,  it  won't  be  much  .of  a 
trick,"  responded  Hale,  with  great  confidence  in  big 
voice.  "You  get  up  first,  I'll  hand  you  the  shooters, 
then  I'll  follow  you.  Come  on." 

Onion  Bob  thought  the  plan  of  his  young  friend  a 
good  one,  so  he  prepared  to  act  upon  it  at  once. 

About  a  dozen  yards  from  the  fire  stood  a  large  qak 
tree,  whose  branches  grew  very  low  and  thick,  and;on 
this  tree  the  hunter  had  his  eye,  though  how  to  reach 
it  without  being  devoured  bj  the  hungry  mou»tere 


SLASH  A  WAY.  THE  FEARLBSa  ft 

gathered  around  it,  was  a  problem  which  the  hunter 

could  not  solve. 

"  We  mought  make  a  rush  fer  it,"  said  he,  "  but  ten 

chances  tu  one  we'd  git  chawed  inter  strings  afore  we 

got  Ihar.     Kin  ye  think  uv  any  thin',  my  lad?     Ef  ye 

kin,  spit  it  out." 

j      Edward  Hale  did  not  reply,  but  seizing  a  brightly 
]  burning   stick  from  the  fire,  gave  a  startling   yell, 

(while  At  the  same  time  he  rushed  for  the  tree  around 
which  the  wolves  were  gathered,  waving  his  brand  as 
>  tie  ran, 

'  The  ruse  was  successful.  The  wolves  seeing  the 
flaming  brand  coming  toward  them,  scattered  in  every 
direction. 

Then  the  young  man  cried  out : 
"Don't  you  see   how  easy  it  is?     Pick  up  another 
Stick,  and  come  on." 

The  trapper  did  not  wait  a  second  invitation,  but 
seizing  a  fire-brand,  made  a  rush  for  the  tree,  which 
he  reached  just  as  the  feet  of  his  young  fiiend  disap- 
peared'in  the  foliage  above  him. 

"  Give  me  the  rifles,"  said  the  young  man,  reaching 
down  his  hand.  <;  Hoist  'em  up,  quick." 

The  two  weapons  were  in  the  speaker's  hand  in  an 
instant,  and  in  an  instant  more  the  hunter  was  climb- 
ing the  tree  like  a  squirrel. 

"  Pretty  good,  pretty  good,"  chuckled  Onion  Bob, 

very  well    pleased    with   his   new   position.      "  Now 

we'll  sit  yer  an'  pop  ;em  off  'ith  nobody  tu  say  aught 

agin  it.     Thar,  look;  the  hungry  varmints  are  begin- 

<  nm'  tu  show  thai  teeth  n'read^.     Wai,  let  'em  growl 

I  an'  fight  j  we  don't  care." 

I      Snapping,  snarling,  growling,  snuffing  the  air,  the 

|  "wolves  came  slowly  toward  the  fire,  and  seeing  no  one 

1  there  to  molest  them,  made  quite  bold  at  length,  and 

began  to  devour  that  which  the  men,  had  left  of  their 

evening  meal. 

At  first  there  was  enough  for  all,  but  soon  the  pick- 
ing got  so  poor  that  the  hungry  beasts  began  to  fight 


6fc  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

among  themselves,  creating  a  horrible  din,  to  whiol. 
the  men  listened  with  a  sort  of  grim  satisfaction. 

At  length  Edward  Hale  thought  it  about  time  to  in- 
terfere, so  he  took  good  aim  at  the  seeming  leader  of 
the  pack,  and  fired. 

The  wolf  struggled  a  moment,  then  rolled  over  on 
the  ground,  and  was  quickly  pitched  into  by  his  com- 
panions,  who  tore  him  to  pieces,  and  devoured  him  in 
an  instant. 

"  The  bloody  devils,"  exclaimed  the  young  man,  as 
he  saw  the  ugly  beasts  picking  the  bones  of  their 
comrade.  "  The  wolf  was  scarcely  dead  when  they 
began  to  snck  his  blood.  Well,  here  goes  again." 

Once  more  the  young  man's  rifle  sounded,  and  a^rain 
a  dusky  brute  rolled  to  the  ground. 

Then  Onion  Bob  put  iu  a  shot  with  a  like  result. 

But  the  hungry  monsters  would  not  be  frightened 
away,  but  devoured  one  another  with  a  relish,  that,  to 
young  Halo,  was  sickening. 

"Oh,  they're  durned  nigh  famished,  the  critters,* 
remarked  the  hunter,  as  he  rammed  home  the  charge 
in  his  gun.  "The  best  way  tu  feed 'em,  is  to  kill 
Tem.  So  load  up,  my  lad,  an'  blaze  away." 

As  the  hunter  spoke,  ho  leveled  his  rifle  at  an  open- 
jawed  monster,  and,  without  any  particular  ,aim,  blazed 
away.  At  the  same  moment  Edward  Hale  put  in  a 
shot,  and,  almost  simultaneously,  two  howling  brutes 
keeled  over  in  the  throes  of  death. 

"We  raought  as  wel)  let  up  on  'em,"  said  the  hun- 
ter, after  a  moment's  silence,  "  fer  we're  only  gittin' 
away  'Hh  our  ammunition  to  no  purpose.  Drat  me,  ef 
1  aiirt  afraid  we'll  hev  the  red  bucks  down  on  us  ef 
we  continue  this  rumpus.  S'pose  we  roll  up,  an'  go 
tu  sleep." 

This  proposition  struck  Edward  Hale  as  being  very 
comical,  and  he  laughed,  as  he  replied  : 

"  I've  had  all  the  sleep  I  shall  get  to-night,  and  as 
for  roosting  in  a  tree,  I  couldn't  possibly  do  it." 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS  57 

"  But  ye  kin  sleep  on  the  ground  V  queried  the 
bunter,  in  a  low  voice. 

"Yes.* 

"  Then  let  us  git  down.  Look,  thar's  not  a  wolf  tu 
be  seen." 

With  a  doubtful  expression  on  his  face,  Edward 
Hale  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  true  enough,  not  a  wolf 
could  he  see. 

"Gone,  every  rascal  of  them,"  said  he,  looking  to- 
ward the  fire.  "  What  could  have  frightened  them 
away  ?" 

"I  don't  know,  I  am  sure,"  answered  the  trapper, in 
a  voice  that  sounded  very  cold  and  strange.     "  I  am 
*  'fraid  tho',  mighty  'fraid " 

"  Of  what  ?"  quickly  interrupted  the  young  man. 
f    "  Of  Tngins  !"  was  tlie  reply.     "ThoVolvsa  left  us 
very  suddint,  ye  know,  thet's  suspicious." 

"  But  the  redskins — what  have  they  to  do  with  it?'"' 

"  Wolves  don't  like  redskins  very  \veJl,  and  redskins 
don't  like  wolves,"  was  the  odd  reply,  "  tharfore  the 
two  don't  kim  together.*1 

"And  do  you  think  the  red  fiends  have  discovered 
us  ?"  questioned  the  young  man  with  considerable 
alarm.  "Have  the}7  taken  the  place  of  the  wolves  T 

The  hunter's  reply  was  emphatic. 

"  I  think  the  red  bucks  are  watching  us  from  the 
ground,"  lie  said.  "  In  my  opinion  we  are  done  fer !" 

Edward  Hale  was  silent  a  moment,  thinking,  then 
be  asked  : 

"  Is  tl  ere  anything  we  can  do  ?" 

"Nothin'  but  stay   whar  we  are/' was   the    reply. 

"  Ef  we  could  reach  the  ground '"' 

j  "  But  we  can't  if  the  redskins  are  watcliin'  us.  The 
:l  moment  we  attempt  to  descend,  we'll  £et  positive 
f  warning  that  it  won't  GO.  Really,  1  know  not  \\liat 
;:  to  do  in  this  emergency.  Have  you  nothing  to  sug- 
gest r 

The  hunter  answered  quietly,  though  in  a  voice  full 
of  determination  : 

"  Thar's  nothiu'  we  kin  do  but  tu  roost  yer  atu^  tl? 


58  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLES& 

break   ol   day.     In  two   hours  from   now  it  will   bo 

light." 

With  this  the  hunter  pulled  his  cap  over  his  eyes 
and  refused  to  say  another  word,  while  Edward  Hale, 
with  many  gloomy  forebodings  pressing  in  on  his  mind, 
watched  and  waited  for  the  coming  of  the  moming'a 
dawn.  t 

An  hour  passed  by.     All  was  still,  all  was  silent,  f 
not  even  a  leaf  rustled,  and  Edwai'd  began  to  think 
that  they  were  surrounded  by  perils  only  imaginary.  | 

But  he  was  soon  undeceived. 

At  the  first,  appearance  of  light  the  report  of  a  .rifle  ; 
rang  out  upon  the  air.  and  the  men  heard  the. whiz  of 
a  bullet  a  foot  or  two  above  their  heads. 

"A  warning  said  the  trapper,  quietly.  u  We'll 
hear  some  more  of  the  same  music  prectv  soon. 
"  Thar  P 

Again  a  rifle  cracked,  and  again  a  bullet  whizzed 
over  their  heads,  this  time  in  such  close  proximity  to  the 
hunter's  cap,  that  he  involuntarily  gave  a  start  which 
caused  him  to  lose  his  balance,  and  he  fell  headlong, 
rifle  and  all,  to  the  ground. 

At  first  the  trapper  thought  that  every  bone  in  bis 
body  was  broken,  but  this  point  he  had  but  a  moment 
to  consider,  for  in  less  than  no  time  three  or  four 
screaming  redskins  were  upon  him,  pounding  and  ham- 
meiing  him  into  the  ground. 

The  trapper  turned  and  twisted,  struggled  haxd.fco 
get  away,  but  failing,  at  length  he  cried  out : 

"  Havings  an'  yearth  !  are  ye  goin'  to  murder  me  f 
Pile  off,  ye  nasty  brutes,  an1  let  me  up.  I'll  surren- 
der, 1  will,  by  mighty.  Git  off,  I  say."  : 

Satisfied  that  their  prisoner  would   not  attempt   to 
get  away,  the  redskins  ceased  pounding  him,. and  rising, 
with  more  than  brutal  ferocity,  pulled  or  rather  hoisted  , 
him  to  his  feet.  i 

"Durn  pretty  cusses,  ye  are,"  growled  the  hunter, 
as  he  wiped  the  blood  from  his  face.  "  What  in  thun- 
der d'ye  mean  by  treatin'  a  gentleman  trapper  rith  so 
much  rudeness  ?'; 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEAltLBSa  59 

If  Onion  Bob  expected  a  satisfactory  answer  to  this, 
fie  was  mistaken  in  the  men  with  whom  he  had  to  deal 
All  they  did  was  to  laugh  and  yell,  and  punch  him  ia 
ibe  side  and  breast  with  their  guns. 
1 5      At  length  the   seeming  leader  of  the  band  got  off 
\    this  in  tolerable  English  : 

"I      "  Big  white  cuss  tumble  from  tree,  almost  break  hia 
';  bead.     How  like  fall,  eh  ?" 

"  I  don't  like  it  very  much,"  replied  the  trapper  ia 
a  voice  anything  but  pleasant.  "  An'  then  tu  hev  a 
pack  uv  miserable  skunks  ready  to  massacre  ye,  ar 
another  thing  I  can't  appreciate.  What  are  ye  goin1 
tu  do  ?ith  me,  ole  man  ?  I  am  re.ady  to  travel.  Come 
on." 

The  redskin  grinned. 

"  Another  feller  in  tree,"  he  chuckled,  as  he  peered 
through  the  branches.  "  Don't  s'pose  warrior  going  to 
leave  him  ?" 

Onion  Bob's  countenance  fell.  He  had  hoped  tho 
redskins  would  pass  his  young  friend  by. 

"  I  thought  maybe  the  devils  didn't  know  he  war 
tbar,"  whispered  the  hunter.  "Wai,  let  them  take 
;im." 

Edward  Hale  saw  at  once  that  the  best  thing  he 
could  do,  was  to  give  himself  up  without  delay,  so  he 
quickly  came  down  from  the  tree,  and  allowed  his 
hands  to  be  bound  behind  him. 

A  few  m?n«ites  the  redskins  waited,  then,  driving 
their  captives  before   them,  they  moved  swiftly  and 
*way. 


SLASH  AW  AY,  THE  FEARLESS. 


CHAPTER,  V. 

THE   WOU  AN    OF   SPECTTcE   ISLE. 


THE  village  of  the  redskins  was  about  fifteen  mile* 
from  the  wood  in  which  Edward  Hale  and  his  trapper 
friend  were  taken  prisoners,  and  to  this  village  the 
whites  were  driven  with  all  possible  speed. 

They  reached  their  destination  a  little  after  midday, 
and  were  greeted  by  a  noisy  crowd  of  savages,  who 
could  not  heap  indignities  enough  on  their  defenceless 
captives. 

At  length  Onion  Bob  was  taken  in  tow  by  four  or 
five  stalwart  rascals,  who  thrust  him  into  a  sort  of 
rude  hut,  ami  chained  him  to  the  ground. 

Then;  returning,  they  seized  Edward  Hale,  and 
soon  he,  too,  was  thrust  into  a  dungeon-like  arrange- 
ment, and  bound  securely  to  the  floor. 

The  jail  or  dungeon  in  which  Edward  Hale  -was 
imprisoned,  was  divided  into  two  wings  or  compart- 
ments, and  the  partition  was  of  logs  rudely  hewn  and 
put  together. 

The  jail  was  also  quite  light  and  dry.  The  floor 
was  of  sand. 

For  several  minutes  after  his  captors  had  gone,  the 
youug  man  remained  very  quiet,  thinking  ;  then  he 
thought  he  heard  a  sound  that  resembled  very  much 
the  regular  breathing  of  a  person  asleep. 


ELASEIAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  ffc 

But  be  could  see  nobody,  and  to  investigate  while 
h:  t;u-  present  position  was  out  of  the  question. 

u  1  believe  there  is  another  prisoner  here  some- 
where/'  whimpered  the  young  man,  as  he  attempted  to 
arise.  "  If  1  could  reach  the  wall,  I  would  soon  find 
out  who  it  it.  Suppose  I  call  out." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  Edward  exclaimed 
aloud  ; 

li  Who's  there  f  Friend  or  foe;  answer  me.  I  am 
a  prisoner." 

The  breathing  stopped  almost  instantly,  a  moment 
of  silence  ensued,  then  a  voice,  low  and  sweet,  in* 
quired  : 

"  Who  are  you?  Am  I  dreaming,  or  did  some  one 
speak  to  me  ?" 

"  Some  one  spoke  to  you,  I  reckon/7  replied  Hale, 
dryly.  "  It  was  I." 

*'And  who  are  you?'7  inquired  the  voice,  in  the 
same  low,  sweet  tones  as  before.  "  You  are  a  man, 
I  know,  but  your  name " 

"  Is  Edward  Hale,"  was  the  quick  reply.  "  I  am 
a  prisoner,  the  same  as  yourself,  I  suppose.  But  tell 
me  your  .name." 

A  full  minute  the  silence  was  unbroken,  then  the 
voice  said  sweetly  : 

"  It  will  do  you  no  good  to  know  my  name.  We 
shall  never  see  each  other." 

"  But  1  must  know  it;  do  not  deny  me." 

There  was  a  moment  of  silence,  then  the  voice  re- 
plied ; 

"  My  name  is  Marguret." 

Edward  Hale  started  as  though  a  rifle-bs.il  had  hit 
him,  and  for  full  five  minuteR  could  not  speak  for 
the  varied  thoughts  that  filled  his  mind. 

"  And  her  name  is  Marguret/7  thought  the  young 
man,  "  the  same  name  that  Slashaway,  the  Fearless, 
so  often  repeated.  The  woman  of  Spectre  Isle — 
Margaret,  Marguret.  I  wonder  if  she  plays  the 
guitar^  and  sings.7' 


62  SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS 

lie  stilled  bis  throbbing  heart  by  an  effort  of  hia 
will,  and  asked: 

il  Your  name  is  Margaret,  you  say.  Now  answer 
me' this  :  Do  yon  play  the  guitar,  and  do  you  sing?" 

It  was  an  odd  question,  but  the  woman  answered  it 
at  once. 

"  1  play,  the  guitar/'  she  said,  "  sometimes,  and 
sometimes  I  .sing." 

Edward  Hale,  more  perplexed  than  ever,  closed  his 
eyes,  and  began  to  think.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he 
had  been  holding  converse  with  an  apparition.  He 
thought  of  the  golden-haired  woman  of  whom  Saul 
Slashaway  had  spoken — the  woman  who  had  so  sin- 
gularly stood  between  the  hunter  and  Sandy  Jim. 

"  You  mustn't  think  me  a  ghost,"  spoke  up  the  girl, 
after  a  while  ;  "  I  am  only  a  young  thing,  and  a  cap- 
tive, like  yourself.  You  asked  me  if  I  play  and  sing. 
"Why  did  you  ask  me  that?" 

The  young  man  replied  at  once: 

"  Because  I  heard  some  one  playing  the  guitar  the 
other  day,  and  somehow  I  thought,  I  thought " 

"What?" 

tl  That  the  musician  was  yourself.  I  do  not  know, 
I  really  do  not  know.  Tell  me  if  I  am  right." 

The  woman  spoke  up  with  sudden  earnestness. 

'*  It  was  »ny  guitar  that  you  heard,  and  I  was  the 
player,  I  saw  you,  but  you  did  not  see  me." 

"  Then  you  are  the  woman  of  Spectre  Isle — you 
live  there  t" 

"  I  live  with  Black  Nathan,  the  Hermit  of  Spectre 
Isle.  My  name  is  Marguiet." 

"  And  your  other  name " 

"  You  shall  not  know  ;  at  least,  not  now.  I  do  not 
know  you.'' 

Determined  to  find  out  all  he  could,  Edward  Hale 
continued  : 

"'•I  heard  you  sing  and  play,  and  I  saw  Black 
Nathan,  as  you  call  him.  It  was  he  who  saved  my 
life;" 

"  No,  you  are  wrong." 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEAHI^ESS.  63 

*HOW,P 

"  But  for  me,  Black  Nathan  would  not  have  raised 
a  finger  in  your  behalf.  By  accident  I  discovered 
Sandy  Jim's  'intentions,  I  entreated  the  Hemrit.  to -fol- 
low- him  and  save  your  life  which  he  did.  What  think 
you  now  ?" 

Edward  Hale  could  but  utter  his  thanks  in  broken 
words,  for  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  dreaming  a 
wild,  rnad  dream. 

j       "Strange,   strange,"  he  said  to  himself,  at.  length. 

j  "  I  am  not  mad,  I   am  not  dreaming,  still  I  scarcely 

4  know  what   I  am   about.     I  never   heard  a   sweeter 

v«ice  than  Margaret's,  I  never  felt  my  heart  beat  as  it 

does  now.     If  I  could  see  her  angel  face,  how  happy 

I  should  be.     I  wonder  if  sho  is  bound,  at>  I  am,  to  a 

rock.     I  will  ask  her." 

He  spoke  to  her  tenderly,  and  asked  her  if  she  was 
bound,  but  though  ho  repeated  his  question  several 
times,  not  a  wortf  reached  him  in  return. 

Then  he  began  to  wonder  what  had  become  of  her, 
whether  or  no  he  had  said  anything  to  offend  her,  and 
somehow  his  mind  turned  on  angel  visitants,  and  it 
occurred  to  him  that  maybe  Marguret  was  one  of  them. 

"  Still  she  spoke  to  me,"  he  said,  trying  to  shake  off 
tbe  feeling  of  dread  that  was  creeping  over  him. 
"  Maybe  she  is  sleeping.  I'll  call  again." 

He  cried  out  louder  than  before,  "  Marguret,  Mar- 
guret," but  no  one  answered  him,  the  adjoining  room 
was  still.  Then  he  said  to  himself  in  a  whisper  : 

"  She  is  gone,  Marguret,  my  angel,  gone,  gone." 

Just  then  the  clanging  of  a  heavy  oaken  door,  and 

the  rapid  tramping  of  feet  reached  his  ear,  and  with 

i  this  he  thought  he  heard  the  rough  voice  of  Onion  Bob, 

'•  the  trapper,  approaching  from  a  point  to  the   left  of 

liirn,  several  yards  away. 

And  he  was  right.  Onion  Bob  was  soon  thrust  un- 
ceremoniously into  the  dungeon  adjoining  the  one  in 
which  Ed  waul  Hale  w»£  bound,  and  with  his  hands 
laetened  behind  him,  his  feet  securely  tied,  he  was  left 
to  hirosel£, 


64  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

But  before  many  minutes  had  elapsed,  he  let  his 
presence  be  known,  by  exclaiming,  in  his  usual,  bluff 
way  : 

lt  Thunder  an' Gnakes!  I  don't  like  this  arrange- 
ment one  bit  j  the  varmints  hev  tied  my  paws  tighter'n 
lightning  an'  my  hoofs  I  can't  budge.  I'll  be  smashed 
ef  I  kin  do  anythin'  but  roll  aroun'  like  a  chicken  'itk 
his  head  off.  I  wonder  whar  Edward  is." 

T^e  young  man  lost  no  time  in  informing  the  hun- 
ter wvere  he  was. 

"I  am  here,  old  boy,"  he  said,  loud  enough  for  the 
huntei  to  hear  him.  "  If  you  can  come  a  little  nearer, 
do  so,  ror  I  want  to  talk  to  you." 

The  trapper  rolled  himself  over  and  over,  until  he 
reached  the  partition,  when  he  vociferated,  while  he 
pounded  the  logs  with  his  head  : 

"Te  don't  tell  me  thet  ye  are  in  thar,  does  ye,  Ed- 
ward ?  Why,  gosh,  I  thought  the  red  bucks  had 
killed  ye.  My  lightnin' !  but  I'm  glad  you're  yer. 
How  does  ye  feel  ?" 

11  Not  much  like  crowing,"  replied  Edward,  dryly. 
"  I  should  like  to  get  out  very  well." 

"  And  so  should  I/'  replied  the  hunter.  "  Do  ye 
know  what  they're  goin'  tu  do  'ith  us— the  red  imps  ?'' 

"  No,  do  you  ?" 

<'Yas;  "I  seed  'em  pilin'  brush,  an'  dry  wood,  an' 
chips  over  thar;  an"  I  reckon,  wal,  I  reckon  " 

"  That  they're  going  to  burn  us  alive,  roast  us?" 

"  Thet's  what  I've  concluded." 

There  was  silence  a  moment,  when  Edward  Hale 
remarked  : 

"  What  time  of  day  should  you  call  itf?; 

il  &bout  four  o'clock  in  £he  arternoon,  I  reckon," 
replied  Onion  Bob,  without  much  consideration. 

"  And  how  much  longer  have  we  got  to  live  f* 

"  Ef  it's  roastin'  they  intend  tu  guv  us,  we'll  git  it 
about  midnight.  Oh,  they'll  hev  a  roarin'  time — the 
devils." 

The  young  man  thought  a  moment,  evidently  not 


SLAS3AWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  65 

very  greatly  impressed  with  the  hunter's  laconic  ob- 
servations. He  spoke  at  last. 

"  I  don't  like  to  die  this  dog's  death,"  he  said,  "  and 
«hall  not,  if  I  can  help  it.  How  are  you  bound — 
tightly?" 

"  Tightly  ?"  grunted  the  hunter,  "  I  should  say  so. 
All  I  kin  do  is  tu  roll  over  an'  over  like  a  barrel. 
'I'm  up  a  stump/  as  they  say,  completely." 

Edward  Hale  made  no  reply,  but  began  to  work  his 
|  hands  back  and  forth,  half  believing  he  could  free 
J  them  in  a  short  time  by  a  succession  of  twists  and 
pulls. 

The  hunter  heard  him  at  his  work,  and  divining 
what  he  was  about,  urged  him  on  by  saying  : 

"  Ye  kin  du  it,  my  lad,  I  reckon,  ef  ye  try  hard 
enough,  fer  these  cussed  leather  straps  sometimes  give 
like  thunder.  So  pull  an'  twist,  an'  yank  an' jerk,  an' 
may  the  good  Lord  help  ye." 

The  young  man  worked  until  he  was  tired,  which 
was  very  soon,  then  he  lay  quiet  a  few  moments,  after 
which,  the  woman  suddenly  coming  into  his  mind, 
he  said  : 

"  You  and  I  are  not  the  only  prisoners,  Onion  Bob ; 
there  is  a  woman  to  keep  us  company." 

"  A  woman  !"  echoed  the  trapper.  "  Whar  is  she, 
whar  is  she  ?" 

The  young  man  hesitated  a  moment,  then  replied  : 

"  I  do  not"  know,  I  really  do  not  know;  I  did  not 
see  her,  I  only  heard  her  voice.  She  was  in  the  room 
j  where  you  are  j  at  least  I  thought  so,  I  thought  so." 

"  But  don't  ye  know,  ye  leetle  cuss  ?  Whar  was 
|  she,  I  soy,  whar  was  she  ?" 

"  She.  was  in  there,  but  she  disappeared  suddenly, 
|  and  you  took  her  place.  You  must  have  seen  her, 
'  certainly," 

"  But  I  didn't,  by  a  darn  sight,"  answered  the  hun- 
ter, sharply.  "  Did  ye  learn  her  name,  ye  monkey  ?" 

The  young  man  winced  under  the  hunter's  sharp  re- 
torts,'but  controling  himself,  he  replied  : 


T66  SLASH  AWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

"Her  WHOM)  is  'Margaret,  and  she  is  a  resident  of 
Spectre  Isle." 

*  For  some  reason  Onion  Bob  was  silent.  Five  min- 
utes passed,  then  be  spoke,  but  what  he  said  was  to 
Lira  self. 

"  Saul  Slashaway,  poor  devil,  he  has  more  trouble 
nor  any  one  else.  Ef  I  war  he,  I'd  go  crazy,  too—- 
crazy as  a  bug.  I  hope  the  redskins  won't  kill  her 
fer  Slashaway 's  sake.  He  thinks  a  heap  o'  her,  he 
does,  o' 'Margaret,  an7  I  don't  wonder  at  it,  fer  she's  a 
fine  lass,  a  mighty  fine  lass." 

The  hunter  ceased  muttering,  and  for  some  minutea 
buried  himself  in  silent  thought. 

;  He  was  aroused  at  length  by  Edward  calling  out 
excitedly  : 

"  I'm  free,  old  man,  I'm  free  j  that  is,  my  hands  are 
free,  and  I'll  soon  loosen  my  feet,  then  I'll  come  to 
you.  Glory,  glory,  glory." 

Tho  young  man  was  as  good  as  his  word,  for  his 
feet  were  soon  untied,  and  he  was  on  his  way  to  the 
assistance  of  Onion  Bob. 

But  here  arose  an  obstacle  that  for  a  moment  ap- 
peared nnsurmoantable,  and  the  obstacle  in  question 
was  the  log  partition. 

Edward  examined  it,  but  at  first  could  see  no  way 
of  getting  through  it,  and  his  heart  began  to  fail  himj 
when  Onion  Bob  suggested : 

"  Ef  ye  can't  git  over,  maybe  ye  kin  crawl  under,; 
the  floor  is  urv  sand,  ye  know.  Begin  to  dig  anf 
scratch  like  the  devil,  my  lad,  an'  I'll  wager  my  hat 
ye'll  succeed/7 

The  suggestion  ot  the  hunter  was  a  good  one,  and 
the  young  man  lost  no  time  in  useless  argument,  but 
began'  to  work  with  a  will. 

After  digging  in  the  sand  a  while,  he  whispered^ 
just  loud  enough  for  Onion  Bob  to  hear : 

"  I  am  doing  bravely,  old  fellow,  bravely.  I'll  soon 
be  through." 

"  It  was  a  pretty  tight  squeeze,  but  Edward  Hale, 
»ot  be  defeated,  got  right  down  to  business,  and  soon 


SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  9f 

ftis  lithe,  slender  form  pushed  into  the  light  of  the 
room  where  Onion  Bob  was  bound. 

The  old  hunter  was  delighted  at  the  success  ofbis 
old  friend,  and  when  the  latter  untied  his  hands  and 
feet,  and  assisted  him  to  arise,  he  exclaimed  with  en- 
ergy : 

"  Ye  are  a  bully  boy,  Ed'urd,  an'  worth  a  dozen 
common  fellers.  Gosh  o'  mighty  !  yer  right  up  an* 
com  in'." 

The  young  man  acknowledged  the  liunter'g  compli- 
ments with  a  sruile,  but  he  quickly  changed  the  sub- 
ject, by  saying  : 

"  So  far  so  good,  but  what  are  we  to  do  nest  ?  The 
redskins  may  corne  in  at  any  moment,  then  what  would 
become  of  us  ?  We  must  do  something  at  once,  what 
shall  it  bef 

Before  replying,  the  hunter  gave  the  room  a  careful 
examination. 

u  I  don't  see  any  way  fer  us  to  git  out/'  he  said, 
"  fehet  is,  at  present.  We  mought  burst,  a  holo  in  the 
roof,  but  we  can't  do  ic  no\v,  the  red  bucks'  ud  see  .us." 

u  But  to-night  we  can,  I  reckon,"  quickly  rejoined 
the  yonng  man,  "  and  it  will  soon  be  dark.  But 
should  the  redskins  visit  us  before  then,  what  are  we 
to.  do?" 

The  hunter  picked  up  from  the  floor  a  couple  of 
stones  weighing  about  a  pound  each,  and  giving  ouo 
of  them  to  Edward,  he  said,  while  his  eye.1*  glittered  : 

u  Ef  they  come,  the  red  imps,  don't  stop  to  think, 
knock 'em  down,  brain  'em,  then  run  lor  yer  life  tu  the 
woods,  any \\har.  The  red  murderers  can't  more  than 
kill  ye,  an'  ef  ye  give  in,  they'll  kill  ye  suro." 

But  fortunately  the  redskins  did  not  trouble  them, 
and  it  was  dark  almost  before  thay  knew  it. 

"I  believe  a  storm  is  brewing,  I  hear.it  thunder," 
uhispered  young  Hale,  as  he  crouched  down  in  one 
corner  of  the  room.  "  Anyhow,  it  .is  going  to.be-  verv 
dark." 

"  The  darker  it  is  the  better  fer  us,"  grunted  the 


68  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

trapper,  as  he  groped  aronnd  the  room,  "  and  ef  it 
thunders  good  and  stiong,  I'll  be  satisfied." 

Edward  Hale  was  about  to  reply,  when  at  this  mo- 
ment the  heavy,  oaken  door  sung  open  with  a  clang-, 
and  the  black  figure  of  an  Indian  warrior  stood  con- 
fronting the  captives. 

In  one  hand  the  savage  held  a  brand  of  fire,  in  the 
other,  a  piece  of  meat  of  about  two  pounds  in  weight, 
which  he  thrust  forward  with  a  giunt. 

u  Won't  kill  white  cusses  to-night,  kill  to-morrow,'1 
snarled  the  painted  imp,  as  he  offered  the  meat  ta 
Onion  Bob.  "  Paleface  devils  burn  like  prairie  grass. 
How  like  to  burn,  eh  ?" 

For  some  cause  or  other  the  heavy,  oaken  door  at 
this  moment  swung  to,  and  as  the  savage  turned  as  if 
to  open  it,  the  hunter,  with  the  nimbleness  of  a  pan- 
ther, sprang  upon  him,  and  grasping  him  by  the  throat 
so  that  he  could  not  scream,  bore  him  heavily  to  the 
ground,  then  quick  as  a  flash,  he  pulled  a  long  knife 
from  the  redskin's  belt,  and  with  one  powerrul  stroke 
ended  the  monster's  life. 

Then  he  said,  as  he  grasped  young  Hale  by  the 
shoulder : 

"  The  time  has  come,  my  lad,  fer  pluck  any  fight. 
Thar  are  at  least  a  dozen  red  bucks  guardiri'  this  she- 
bang, an'  what  we're  goin'  to  du,  is  to  bust  right 
through  'em.  So  gather  a  rock,  my  innocence,  an.1" 
f oiler  me." 

Fear  to  delay  lest  the  guards  should  suspicion  that 
all  was  not  right,  Onion  Bob  quickly  opened  the  cfoor, 
and  closely  followed  by  Edward  Hale,  pushed  boldly 
past  the  growling  sentinels,  who  at  first  did  not  know 
tbem  from  their  dusky  friends. 

But  they  soon  discovered  their  mistake,  and  with 
blood-curdling  yells,  started  in  pursuit. 

And  then  ensued  a  very  lively  race,  which,  but  for  the 
darkness,  would  have  resulted  in  favor  of  the  redskins. 

As  it  was,  one  of  the  whites,  Edward  Hale,  was  re- 
taken, but  not  by  the  rascals  in  pursuit. 

The  way  of  it  was  this  :  As  Edward  and  Onion  Bob 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS  OS 

were  bounding  along,  tbey  became  separated,  and  in 
the  darkness,  took  almost  opposite  directions,  and  tL«* 
first  that  Edward  Hale  knew,  he  ran  plump  into  some- 
thing, which  at  first  he  thought  was  a  tree,  brit  which 
he  soon  discovered  was  a  redskin. 

But  he  made  this  discovery  too  late,  for  the  redskin 
hurled  him  to  the  ground  in  a  twinkling,  and  being  a 
very  powerful  savage,  held  him  down,  while  he  howled 
lustily  for  help. 

And  help  appeared  in  about  ten  seconds,  in  the 
chape  of  a  score  of  dusky  brutes  who  soon  jerked  the 
young  man  to  his  feet,  and  as  tbey  drove  him  along, 
kicked  and  pounded  him  in  the  most  shameful  manner. 

So  in  ten  minutes  from  the  time  he  escaped  from  tbe 
jail,  he  went  back  to  it,  bruised  and  bleeding,  and 
thinking,  and  not  without  reason,  that  he  would  neve* 
come  out  alive. 

As  for  Onion  Bob,  he  out-distanced  his  pursuers, 
and  escaped  to  the  woods. 

"  The  old  trapper  will  help  me  if  he  can,"  said  the 
young  man  to  himself,  as  the  redskins  left  him,  bound 
to  the  floor  of  the  jail.  "  I  am  afraid,  though,  very 
much  afraid  it's  all  up  with  me." 

An  hour  passed.  It  was  very  dark,  and  the  night 
was  creeping  on.  Still  the  savages  did  not  go  to  their 
wigwams,  but  kept  up  a  continual  howl  outside  the 
jail. 

"  What  do  they  mean,  the  rascals  ?"  questioned  Ed- 
ward Hale,  at  length.  "It  cannot  be  that  they  in- 
tend to  torture  me  to-night.  Still  I  hear  the  crackling 
of  flames,  and  the  smell  of  burning  wood  comes  to  xrie. 
Merciful  Heavens  !  my  flesh  fairly  creeps.  Hark !  I 
hear  them  corning.  God  help  me,  lam  lost!" 

Howling,  screaming,  yelling,  arid  shouting,  half  a 
score  of  blood-thirsty  knaves  suddenly  made  a  rush 
for  the  prison-house,  and  bursting  down  the  door, 
seized  young  Hale,  and  with  more  than  brutal  ferocity 
dragged  him  to  the  stake  of  torture.  Then  they  begaa 
to  dance  around  him,  scream  their  horrid  music  in  Lia 
cars,  thrust  burning  brands  into  his  face,  kick 


30  8LASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

pound  him,  until,  goaded  to  desperation,  lie  cried  out 
for  them  to  kill  him  at  once,  and  so  end  his  misery. 

But  this  the  savage  brutes  did  not  intend  to'do; 
they  preferred  rather  to  murder  him  by  degrees,  and 
with  this  purpose  in  view  bound  him  to  a  fire-charred 
stake,  and  began  to  heap  brush-wood  and  dry  leaves 
around  him  ;  then  firing  the  pile,  they  shrieked;  yelled, 
and  danced  about  the  slowly  creeping  flames  like  so 
many  demons. 

It  was  a  horrible  mcment  foi  young  Hale ;  he  fully 
realized  his  situation,  and  as  the  hissing,  crackling 
fire  approached  him  nearer  *nd  nearer,  writhing, 
twining,  squirming,  he  set  hi*  teeth  firmly  together, 
as  if  determined  to  die  without  a  murmur. 

But  the  redskins  were  equally  determined  that  he 
should  show  his  agony  j  they  renewed  the  tortures, 
kicked,  and  struck  him,  and  to  make  the  horror  more 
intense,  blistered  his  face,  hands,  and  arms  with  burn- 
ing brands. 

His  agony  was  frightful.  He  felt  as  if  he  would 
instantly  expire.  Every  fibre  of  his  frame  shuddered, 
and  he  knew  that  he  was  rapidly  sinking  into  uncon- 
sciousness. 

Still  the  fire  raged,  blistered,  and  burned  ;  the  skin 
was  beginning  to  crumble  away,  shriveling  up  like 
parchment,  and  gaping  cracks  appeared  in  the  flesh, 
from  which  blood  spurted  forth,  and  hissed  upon  the 
glowing  coals. 

This  was  more  than  human  nature  «ouH  endure. 

The  young  man  fainted. 


/S&A8HAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  31 


CHAPTER    VI. 

TO      THE      KESCI7E. 

TH  moment  Edward  Hale's  consciousness  left  him, 
and  be  sank,  as  it  wore,  a  helpless  lump  into  the  fire, 
the  Indians,  satisfied  with  the  tortures,  kicked  aside 
the  brands,  and  cutting  the  cords  with  which  he  was 
bound,  carried  him  to  the  nearest  wigwam,  and  there 
tried  every  means  in  their  power  to  bring  him  to. 

In  a  short  time  they  succeeded,  and  the  young  man 
opened  his  eyes  and  talked  aloud,  and  so  vividly  did 
the  horrible  past  come  to  him,  that  he  shuddered  in* 
Voluntarily. 

"They  almost  roasted  me,  the  devils,  and  I  wonder 
very  much  why  they  saved  me,"  the  young  man  said. 
"  I  am  horribly  burned."  Then  turning  to  an  old, 
weather-beaten  hag,  who  seemed  to  be  the  only  person 
In  the  room,  he  asked  :  "  Who  are  you  ?" 

The  old  squaw  looked  up  with  a  wicked  scowl,  and 


"  My  name  is  Sleeping  Wave.  I  am  almost  a 
devil.  Don't  ye  believe  it  ?  Then  try  to  get  away, 
and  see." 

"And  did  you  dress  my  burns?"  questioned  tli« 
young  man,  as  he  pressed  his  hand  to  his  face. 

The  old  hag  answered  at  once. 

"I  did;    I    rubbed  some  ointment  on  them;   th* 


72  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

braves  thought  you  would  die ;  I  said  no,  I'd  malt* 
you  live.  I  wanted  yon  to  live,  for  1  wanted  to  se* 
you  burn  again.  Next  time  no  one  will  help  you-** 
burn  to  a  crisp." 

i  Edward  shuddered,  for  it  now  occurred  to  him  whj 
the  red  fiends  had  saved  his  life.  He  was  to  be  tor- 
tured at  the  stake  a  second  time — he  was  to  be  burned 
alive. 

The  thought  was  a  horrible  one ;  too  horrible  to  be 
long  entertained,  and  Edward  Hale  wrestled  with  it 
until  his  heart  fluttered  wildly,  and  he  groaned  aloud. 
Then  he  spoke. 

*'  It  was  no  kindness  in  yni,  then,  to  save  my  life,* 
he  said ;  "  I  wish  you  had  let  rne  die.  I  was  strong, 
then,  now  I  am  weak.  I  am  a  coward.  Heavens! 
how  the  thought  makes  me  shudder," 
•j  The  old  witch  laughed  a  horrible  laugh,  and  her 
wild,  vindictive  merriment,  so  out  of  place,  so  terrible, 
geemed  to  Edward  Hale  a  species  of  devilish  mockery. 

"  Ye  don't  wan't  to  die,  then — afraid,  are  ye  ?" 
sneered  the  old  hag,  approaching  so  near  the  young 
man  that  her  breath  touched  his  face.  u  Just  like  all 
the  rest — afraid  of  death.  I  know  the  palefaces  well; 
I've  lived  among  them;  they  are  cowards/' 

The  old  witch  spoke  such  good  English,  that  Ed- 
ward was  not  surprised  when  she  informed  him  that 
she  had  spent  several  years  among  the  whites. 

"  And  did  they  ever  treat  you  ill — the  whites  f"  he 
asked,  a  singular  thought  at  that  instant  coming  into 
his  mind,  "  did  they  try  to  burn  you  at  the  stake  ?" 

The  old  hag  scowled,  and  a  bitter  laugh  escaped 
her. 

"  The  paleface  are  dogs,"  she  snarled,  "and  I  hate 
them.  Look  at  this  scar  and  ask  me  if  they  tried  to 
kill  rne.  Dog  !  devil  !  wretch,  look  !" 

She  bent  her  neck,  and  Edward  saw  thereon  a  scar 
extending  half  way  round — an  ugly  wound  it  must 
have  been,  and  the  young  man  lost  no  time  in  asking 
her  how  she  got  it. 

*'  He  almost  killed  me,  the  white  devil,  tried  to  cut 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  73 

my  throat,"  replied  the  squaw,  and  her  eyes  glittered,  j 
"  Shall  J  tell  you  how  it  happened  V 

11  Yes,  tell  me  all  about  it,"  replied  the  young  man, 
impatiently.  "  Your  face  startles  me,  it  looks  so 
familiar.  Have  I  not  seen  you  before  to-night,  some- 
where ?  I  think  I  have.  But  let  me  have  your  story, 
now,  at  once.  What!  you  think  I  can  tell  it  better? 
'.  Well,  then,  listen,  for  here  it  is." 

I  "  Ahout  seven  years  ago,  as  near  r.s  I  can  remem- 
ber," began  Edward,  "  I  was  visiting  friends  in  a  large 
western  city,  and  while  there,  had  occasion  to  render 
assistance  to  an  old  Indian  woman,  who  was  selling 
bead  trinkets  and  so  forth,  on  the  streets.  The  way 
of  it  was  this:  It  was  near  nightfall,  and  the  old 
woman  was  on  her  way  to  her  lodging-house,  when 
she  was  met  by  three  or  four  drunken  scoundrels,  who 
attempted  to  possess  themselves  of  the  articles  in  her 
basket,  without  paying  for  them.  Of  course  the  old 
woman  resisted,  and  a  scuffle  ensued  in  which  the  squaw 
was  roughly  handled,  she  cried,  '  jklurder  !  murder  1* 
then  something  in  the  Indian  tongue:  and  I,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  near  at  that  time,  ran  to  her  assistance. 
And  I  was  just  in  time.  One  of  the  cowardly  rascals 
Leld  a  knife  in  his  hand,  and  I  noticed  that  it  was 
covered  with  blood,  and  when  I  rushed  up,  he  was 
about  to  strike  a  second  time,  which  no  doubt  would 
have  ended  her  existence.  But  I  was  too  quick  for 
him.  Before  his  knife  could  descend,  my  cane,  which 
was  a  heavy  one,  carne  down  on  his  head  with  such 
force,  that  his  knife  flew  out  of  his  hand,  and  he  him- 
self fell  sprawling  to  the  ground.  What  happened 
uext,  you  know  as  well  as  I,  for  you  are  the  old  In- 
dian woman  whose  life  I  saved." 

Sleeping  Wave,  the  old  Indian  witch,  heard  the 
young  man  through  without  a  woid,  but  when  he 
turned  on  her  to  verify  the  truthfulness  of  his  story, 
she  said  : 

"  The  young  paleface  speaks  the  truth.  I  am  the 
old  Indian  woman  whose  life  was  saved  by.  the  white 
boy  several  years  ago.  When  they  brought  you  5n^»» 


74  8LASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

the  bravea— I  knew  I  had  seen  you  before.  1 
thought,  I  studied,  I  wondered,  then  your  face  came 
to  me,  and  I  was  satisfied.  You  saved  my  Life,  now 
what  shall  I  do  for  you  ?  Sleeping  Wave  never  for- 
gets a  kindness.77 

Edward  Hale  did  not  answer  for  some  minutes  j 
he  was  revolving  in  his  mind  how  he  should  proceed 
with  the  old  witch,  for,  if  it  was  her  purpose  to  befriend  . 
trim,  he  wanted  to  be  sure  of  everything  beforehand.  \ 

"I  saved   your   life,  you   say,"  he  begun- at  last,  | 
"now  what   should   you   do  for   me — save   mine,  of  I 
course.     I  am  in  a  tight  box,  am  doomed  to  a  horrible  * 
death,  am  friendless,  alone,  only  you  can  save  me.     I 
helped  you  when  you  needed  it,  now  help  me." 

The  dark,  scowling  face  of  the  old  hag  bent  over 
the  young  man,  and  her  eyes  glittered  savagely,  as 
ehe  replied : 

"  The  paleface  is  a  coward,  he  is  afraid  to  die,  he 
wants  Sleeping  Wave  to  gave  his  life.  Sleeping  Wave 
is  a  squaw." 

"She  is  a  woman,"  returned  the  young  man,  "  and 
the  paleface  boy  saved  her  life,  that  is  enough— he 
will  die." 

The  old  squaw  paced  the  room  back  and  forth  sev- 
eral times,  then  stopping  by  the  side  of  the  young 
man,  she  bent  her  head,  and  said  in  a  voice  firm,  but 
scarcely  audible : 

"Do  not  fear,  Sleeping  Wave  will  see  that  the 
young  man  escapes.  Bloody  Knife  is  a  great  warrior, 
and  would  kill  the  old  squaw,  if  he  knew  what  is  in 
her  heart.  There  is  plenty  of  time,  the  braves  are  sat- 
isfied, they  say  you  shall  live  a  week,  then  die.  I 
say  you  shall  live  longer,  and  I  speak  the  truth.  But 
beware  what  you  say,  what  you  think,  what  you  dream 
—Sleeping  Wave  is  a  devil,  and  if  you  betray  her, 
you  die  the  death  of  a  dog.  Beware !" 

Edward  Hale  had  no  disposition  to  betray  the  old 
witch ;  in  fact,  all  he  cared  for  was  to  escape/  so  he 
answered  her  unhesitatingly. 

"Do  not  fear  that  I  shall  do  anything  to  betray 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FBARLBS8.  75 

you.  .Art  I  ask  of  you  is  to  give  me  a  little  lift  in 
the  direction  of  freedom.  You  are  kind,  very  kind,  to 
help  me.  I  thank  you.w 

The  old  bag  said  nothing,  bat  seating  herself  in 
one  corner  of  the  room,  doubled  herself  up  in  a  sort  of 

>  $eap,  and  apparently  went  to  sleep. 

j      But  she  was  only  dozing,  as  Edward  soon  oiscov- 

|  ered,  for  the  moment  he  would  move  or  make  a  noise 

{ in  any  way,  her  eyes  were  on  the  alert,  aad  her  ears 

:  ready  to  take  in  every  sound. 

In  this  way  matters  continued  until  morning,  when 
the  old  hag  aroused  herself  and  began  to  look  to  the 
wants  of  the  young  paleface  captive,  who  certainly 
weeded  her  assistance,  for  his  burns  were  hurting  him 
considerable,  and  he  was  very  sore  and  lame. 

"  No  sleep,  no  rest,  no  nothing,"  said  the  old 
woman,  as  she  bent  over  him.  "  Next  time  sleep  bet- 
ter, then  get  well." 

Pouring  some  ointment  frcm  a  poach,  the  old  bag 
dressed  the  young  man's  burns,  and  soon  he  felt 
easier,  besides  being  very  thankful  for  her  kindness. 
lie  would  now  get  well. 

The. old  woman  built  a  fire,  baked  a  sort  of  bread, 
roasted  a  venison  stake,  and  with  a  little  herb  tea, 
brought  Edward  his  morning  meal. 

The  young  man  was  very  hungry,  and  ate  what  was 
set  before  him  with  a  relish,  not  did  he  care  very 
tm'Cii  when  the  old  hag  gave  him  a  wicked  bcowl,  for 
he  fully  believed  that  she  would  aid  him  to  escape. 

;      Time  passed  on.     The  sun  came  up  full  of  beauty, 
and   its  welcome  light  stole  into  the  wigwam,  danced 

!  over  the  young  man's  face,  toyed  with   his  hair,  and 
seemed  to  speak  to  him. 

At  -length  Sleeping  Wave  went  oat,  and  Edward 
rose  partly  to  his  feet,  and  looked  around  him,  for  to 
discover,  if  he  could,  how  many  red  devils  were  guard* 
ing  the  building,  was  his  intention. 

But  he  could  see  nothing,  hear  nothing,  but  a  noisy 
yelp  of  dogs,  the  cry  of  children,  and  au  occasional 
whoop  of  eome  last?  warrior  returning  from  the  chasa 


?8  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

"  They  are  going  to  let  me  rest  awhile,  I  guess,  the 
imps,"  siiid  the  young  man,  as  he  returned  to  his  conch 
of  furs.  "However,  that  I  am  closely  guarded  is 
plain  enough,  for  the  redskins  know  their  business  too 
v;ell  to  give  me  a  single  chance  of  escape.  I  am 
afraid  that  Sleeping  Wave  cannot  help  me,  very  much 
;t  f  raid." 

The  old  squaw  returned  after  a  short  absence,  and 
Edward  saw  at  once  that  her  mind  was  ill  at  ease  j 
something  had  gone  wrong  j  she  was  sullen,  morose, 
and  little  inclined  to  speak. 

Determined  to  learn  what  had  induced  this  change, 
Edward  asked  : 

"Are  3*ou  ill,  or  have  you  seen  something  to  dis- 
turb you?  What  are  the  warriors  about  this  morn- 
ing F 

The  old  witch  looked  up  with  a  frown,  and  an- 
swered between  her  teeth : 

"  The  captive  girl  must  die  I" 

The  young*  man  sprang  up  with  a  sudden  bound, 
and  for  a  moment  his  heart  fluttered,  his  eyes  looked 
Mildly  around  him,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  could 
Fee  the  fair  girl-captive — Margaret,  he  supposed — -suf- 
fering all  the  horrors  through  which  he  himself  had 
passed,  then  falling  a  charred  and  sightless  lump  to 
the  ground.  Then  he  tried  to  speak,  but  he  could  not 
lie  could  only  groan. 

"  What  ails  ye,  lad  f.  said  the  old  squaw,  at  length 
"  Is  the  white  girl  anything  to  you  T} 

"More  than  any  one  can  tell,"  replied  Edward,  with 
liis  eyes  full  on  the  old  hag's  face  "She  is  young 
and  beautiful,  is  she  not?7' 

"She  is  young,"  answered  the  old  witch,  scowling, 
"  and  she  may  be  beautiful — I  don't  know  what  beauty 
is.  Anyway,  she  burns  to-night.  Bloody  Knife  has 
spoken  j  that  is  enough." 

Edward  was  silent  a  moment,  thinking.  The  first 
thrill  of  horror  and  surprise  had  passed,  and  he  was 
taow  coolly  calculating  on  the  chances  of  his  own 
escape,  and  wondering  how  he  coald  be  of  service  to 


SLASH  AWAY,  THE  FEARLESS  7T 

the  beautiful  girl-captive,  in  this  her  day  of  trial,  won- 
dering if  he  could  not  rescue  her  from  her  cruel  cap- 
tors, or  in  some  way  induce  them  to  save  her  life. 

"  The  redskins  are  very  cruel  to  kill  her,  a  girl, 
innocent  and  beautiful,"  said  the  young  man,  at 
.length.  "She  has  been  with  them  several  days;  it 
seems  strange  that  they  should  kill  her  now." 

Edward  hesitated,  and  look  at  the  old  hag,  who 
answered  him  in  a  sort  of  fiendish  satisfaction. 

)"  The  young  braves  make  fools  of  themselves,"  she 
began,  "  they  think  the  pale  squaw  beautiful,  and  they 
quarrel  and  light,  and  kill  one  another  just  for  her. 
Bloody  Knife  is  wise,  he  loves  to  see  peace  among  his 
warriors,  and  he  knows  how  to  get  it — he  will  put  the 
young  girl  to  death." 

"  And  you  say  she  dies  to-night  ?"  put  in  Edward, 
gtill  calculating  on  the  chances  of  her  escape,  "she 
dies  by  fire  to-night  ?" 

" Bloody  Knife  says  so,  and  he  always  speaks  the 
truth,"  replied  Sleeping  Wave,  with  a  bitter,  unnatural 
laugh.  "I  wanted  to  kill  her  myself,  but  they 
wouldn't  let  me — the  warriors — I  wanted  to  tear  her 
limb  from  limb,  I  hate  her  1" 

-"  Then  you  have  seen  her,  know  how  she  looks,  and 
can  describe  her.  I  know  her,  and  still  I  do  not  know 
her.  My  eyes  have  never  beheld  her." 

"Then  why  do  ye  whine  so  about  her,  ye  devil?" 
yelled  the  witch.  "  What  if  she  does  burn*  what  id  it 
to  you  ?" 

;      "  A  good  deal,  I  love  her." 

'  The  old  hag  laughed  loud  and  long,  she  seemed  to 
enjoy  the  young  man's  discomfiture,  appeared  to  glory 
in  his  distress. 

"  Ye  love  her,  do  ye  ?"  at  length  she  sneered. 
4t  Maybe  ye'd  like  to  see  her  before  she  dies.  Shall  I 
bring  her  here." 

The  young  man's  face  flushed,  his  heart  fluttered 
wildly,  and  hoping  that  the  beautiful  girl  captive 
might  be  bronght  to  him,  he  answered : 


78  8LA8HAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

"  I  should  like  to  see  her  very  much.  Cannot  yon 
take  me  to  her  f 

The  old  witch  laughed  mockingly,  and  there  was  a 
savage  glitter  in  her  eyes  as  she  replied  : 

"The  little  paleface  squaw  must  die.  Sleeping- 
Wave  cannot  save  her— cannot  even  see  her;  she  is 
guarded  by  the  braves  of  Bloody  Knife,  and  to-night 
she  burns  at  the  stake.  Do  ye  wish  to  see  her? 
Then  come  with  me  to-night  and  you  shall  see  her  as 
she  writhes  in  the  flames,  shrieks,  screams  and  yells ; 
she  will  be  lovely  then,  and  her  screams  of  agony  will 
be  as  music  in  your  cars.'' 

She  seemed  to  take  especial  delight— did  this  old 
she-devil — in  depicting  the  agonies  of  a  captive  at  the 
stake,  and  not  til)  Edward  shrieked  out  for  her  to 
cease  her  devilish  jargon,  did  she  stop  talking  of  the 
coming  horror. 

"  She's  as  blood-thirsty  as  the  rest — the  old  heathen,* 
muttered  Edward,  as  the  hag,  with  a  savage  grow!, 
left  the  room.  "  I  expect  every  minute  to  have  her 
thrust  a  knife  into  me.  I  am  not  satisfied  that  she  is 
my  friend,  that  she  is  sincere  in  her  promises  of  assist- 
ance. I  distrust  her,  she  is  an  Indian/' 

The  young  man  was  still  a  moment,  listening  j  he 
thought  he  heard  a  scratching,  scraping  sound  coming 
from  the  outside  of  the  wigwam,  and  apparently 
againsMhe  logs  near  his  head. 

A  moment  he  listened,  the  sounds  were  a  great  deal 
more  distinct,  a  voice  was  whispering  to  him  too  low 
to  be  understood — it  was  only  to  attract  his  attention. 
He  placed  his  ear  to  a  chink  in  the  wall  and  listened, 
while  his  heart  fluttered  as  though  it  would  burst  its 
bounds. 

"Who  speaks  to  me?"  he  said  at  length,  "  the 
white  or  the  red  ?" 

The  man  on  the  outside  whispered  through  the 
chink : 

"  It  is  I,  Saul  Slashaway,  and  I  have  come  to  . 
you.     Are  you  bouad  f" 


8LA8KAWAY,  THE  FEARLESSL  79 

It  seemed  to  Edward  that  a  mighty  weight  had  been 
lifted  from  him,  and  he  replied,  joyfully  : 

"  I  am  not  bound,  I  am  badly  injured.  The  red- 
skins did  it — attempted  to  burn  me  alive.  Come  in.*' 

"Where  is  the  old  witch  ?" 

"      "  Gone — I  don't  know  where.     Are  ye  not  afraid  of 
the  redskins  f ' 

"No,  Pm  a  redskin  myself,  just  now.  I  killed  a 
red  buck  and  changed  clothes  with  him,  and  painted 
toy  face — I'll  pass,  I  reckon.  But  you  shall  see  for 
yourself." 

The  hut  of  Sleeping  Wave  was  »ot  conspicuously 
situated,  and  as  a  consequence,  Slaehaway  got  into  it 
unobserved,  though,  had  the  redskins  seen  him  they 
would  have  suspicioned  nothing,  so  cunningly  was  he 
disguised. 

"  I  look  pretty  well,  don't  I  f '  said  the  old  man, 
taking  young  Hale  by  the  shoulder.  "  I'll  pass,  I 
reckon/' 

Edward  looked  sharply  into  the  hunter's  face,  then 
surveyed  his  eccentric  costume,  after  which  he  ex- 
claimed : 

•'•"  A  perfect  Indian  !  I  wouldn't  have  known  you 
had  you  not  told  me  your  name.  How  did  you  find 
me  out  f  who  guided  you  V 

"  I  needed  no  guide,"  replied  the  hunter.  "  I  know 
every  wigwam  in  the  village,  I  am  almost  an  Indian." 

"  But  you  left  me  in  your  cave ;  how  did  you  know 
of  rny  capture  by  the  redskins  ?'; 

"  Onion  Bob  told  me." 

u  Then  you  have  seen  Onion  Bob  ?" 

w  Yes  j  he  is  waiting  for  me  now  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  village ;  he  was  near  you  last  evening  when  the 
red  varmints  had  you  at  the  stake ;  he  told  me  all, 
and  here  I  am  to  save  JTOU  and— and — Murguret. 
Have  you  seen  her,  my  Marguret,  anywhere  V9 

With  downcast  eyes  the  young  man  answered  : 

"  No,  I  have  not,  but  her  voice  1  heard  j  we  were 
prisoners  together.  She  spoke  of  you," 

«  What  did  she  say  ?» 


80  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

u  She  said  she  knew  you,  and— and-— -loved 
I  wondered  that  she  should  say  so." 

The  old  man's  voice  quivered. 

«  Why  shouldn't  she  love  me  ?"  he  said,  at  length} 
'*'  Bhe  is  my  daughter." 

Edward  had  suspicioned  as  much,  but  now  he  knfrw 
for  a  certainty  that  Marguret  was  the  daughter  of 
Slashaway,  the  Fearless. 

"  She  did  not  tell  me  her  name — that  is,  only  Mar* 

furet,"  said  the  young  man,  thoughtfully.     "  But  now 
know  her  name,  and  who  she  is;  she  is  your  daugh» 
ter;  and  you  love  her." 

"  Better  than  my  own  life." 
tf  And  the  Hermit  of  Spectre  Isle — who  is  he?" 
"  A  strange  old  negro,  very  kind,  very  good,  and 
as  true  as  steel  to  Marguret  and  I.  The  redskins  call 
him  the  '  Black  Wizard/  and,  until  now,  have  kept 
away  from  him,  thinking  him  a  spirit  of  evil.  When. 
Marguret  got  back — she  goes  to  school,  she  does ;  I 
send  her  thar-— I  let  her  stay  'ith  Black  Nathan,  for  I 
thought  she'd  be  safer  there  than  'ith  me.  But  some- 
how the  red  bucks  discovered  her,  and  new  she  is  a 
captive,  and  the  Lord  only  knows  what  she  has  suf- 
fered." 


'BLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS  81 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE    ESCAPE. 


THE  hcnter  brushed  away  the  tears  that  gathered  in 
bis  eyes,  and  to  a  remark  of  Edward's  concerning" 
Sandy  Jim,  went  on  : 

"  Ef  you'd  like  to  know  how  it  happened,  I'll  tell 
you.  Sandy  Jim  was  my  wife's  brother.  One  day 
Margaret — that  is,  my  wife — and  Jim  got  into  a  dis- 
pute about  me — Jim  hated  me — when  what  do  you 
think  he  did  ?  He  up  and  shot  her  dead ! 

"Then  he  jumped  the  country,  but  1  followed  him, 
and  tried  to  shoot  him,  but  it  wasn't  for  me  to  do. 
Every  time  I'd  draw  on  him,  a  woman  in  white,  a 
beautiful  woman,  Marguret,  'ud  glide  between  us.  I 
couldn't  shoot  her,  so  I  couldn't  shoot  him.  But  now 
he  is  dead,  thank  God  !  and  I've  nothing  to  fear  from 
him}  still  1  am  not  yet  out  of  trouble.  Marguret,  my 
daughter,  is  a  captive  in  this  village  j  for  aught  I 
know,  she  is  doomed  to  die.  I  must  save  her.  Can 
you  tell  me  where  she  is  V 


&  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

Edward  lost  no  time  in  informing  the  old  hunter  all 
te  knew  concerning  the  captive  girl. 

Slasbaway  Lad  not  imagined  the  savages  would  de- 
liberately torture  his  fair  daughter  at  the  stake,  so 
^dien  Edward  informed  him  of  the  intentions  of  the 
Tedskins,  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  should  die  of  the 
very  thought. 

"  Marguret  dies  to-night,"  he  repeated.  "  It  cannot 
foe,  it  shall  not  be.  I'll  save  her,  or  die  myself.  | 
Merciful  God !  what  shall  I  do  ?  I  cannot  think  of  t 
losing  Marguret,  and  such  a  death,  too,  so  horrible,  i 
At  midnight,  you  say,  young  man  ?  TV  ell,  we  shall  f 
^ee,  we  shall  see.  Are  your  feet  badly  burned  ?" 

"  I   can    walk,77  said    the    young    man,   inquiringly,  f 
"  Why  do  you  ask  ?" 

"  Because  you  must  get  away  from  here  to-day. 
tThere'll  be  a  row  to-night  tl  at'll  make  things  hum." 

"But  I  am  safe;  the  redskins  won't  harm  me 
Sleeping  Wave,  the  witch,  is  my  friend  j  she  owes  me 
her  life." 

The  hunter  stepped  toward  the  door,  for  at  this 
moment  he  heard  the  tramp  of  feet  approaching  the 
house,  but  before  he  could  get  safely  out,  the  old 
witch  had  her  eye  upon,  him,  and  her  voice  was  ring- 
ing in  his  ears. 

"Who  are  you?"  she  screamed.  "Fool,  wretch, 
scoundrel !  what  do  you  mean  by  sneaking  into  my 
house?  A  paleface  dog  dressed  up  as  a  redskin. 
Ha,  ha!  you  deceive  no  one;  you  are  a  fool!" 

At  first  the  hunter  did  not  know  what  to  do; 
should  he  answer  the  old  witch,  or  should  he  go  on, 
;and  let  Edward  explain  away  his  presence  in  the 
house  as  best  he  could  ?  He  decided  almost  instantly, 
and  left  the  old  woman  without  a  word. 

Sleeping  Wave  watched    him  until   he   was  out  of 
then   she  went   into  the    house,    and   her  eyes 
glittered  savagely,  as  she  said : 

" Ye  are  a  traitor,  ye  devil!  A  white  rascal  just 
left  my  house.  What  war  he  doing  in  here  2" 

*•  Nothing ;  he  fe  my  friend," 


SLASHAWAT,  THE  FEARLESS.  83 

11  iroar  friend/*'  repeated  the  squaw,  sneeringly  j 
41  so  am  I  your  friend,  yet  I  would  cut  your  heart  out 
at  the  slightest  word.  Listen,  now.  To-moiTow  I'll 
set  ye  free,  then  we'll  be  even.  You  saved  iuy  life, 
BOW  I'll  save  yours." 

Edward  was  silent.  The  old  hag  went  about;  her 
work  and  said  nothing.  And  so  the  day  wore  on. 

At  length  evening  came,  and  the  village  which  had 
all  day  been  very  quiet,  began  tc  ring  wiih  the -shonts, 
whoops,  and  howls  of  savage  warriors,  and  goon 
Edward  was  convinced  that  preparations  were  being 
made  for  a  grand  war-dance,  at  the  end  of  which, 
Maguret,  no  doubt,  would  be  brought  forth  to  meet 
her  doom. 

In  a  fever  of  excitement  the  young  man  watched  and 
waited.  The  hours  went  by.  He  could  hear  the 
savages  as  they  ran  wildly  about,  howling  and  sure;mi- 
ing  like  so  many  demons,  and  as  he  thought  of  Mar- 
garet and  the  horrible  death  that  awaited  her,  he 
groaned  aloud. 

After  a  while  Sleeping  Wave,  the  old  witch,  caught 
the  excitement,  and  without  a  thought  of  Edwnrd 
rushed  out,  and  soon  she  too,  was  as  busy  as  the  rest 
In  preparing  for  the  coming  horror. 

At  length  Edward  could  stand  it  no  longer,  lie 
determined  to  make  his  egress  from  the  wigwam,  and 
if  necessary,  die  by  the  side  of  the  suffering  girl. 

With  this  purpose  in  view  he  rose  to  his  feet,  and 
notwithstanding  his  burns  pained  him  severely,  hob- 
bled to  the  door. 

Then  he  bethought  himself  of  a  weapon,  and  halt- 
ing, looked  around  the  room  to  see  what  he  could  iiud 
that  would  aid  him  in  case  of  emergency. 

A  small  hatchet  proved  to  be  the  only  weapon  in. 
the  room,  and  this  he  appropriated. 

Quietly,  cautiously,  he  crawled  out  of  the  wigwam, 
and  took  his  way  toward  a  clump  of  bushes  just  back 
of  the  council-house,  and  a  little  way  off  from  a  huge 
fire,  around  which  the  redskins  were  congregated. 

He  reached  the  bushes  in  safety,  he  secreted  himself 


&i  SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEA»t.«**3. 

be  could  see  the  redskin?,  but  the  redskins  could  not 
Bee  him — he  was  comparatively  safe.  So  he  watched 
and  waked. 

An  hour  passed  by.  The  savages  were  still  dancing 
around  the  fire,  they  were  wild  with  excitement — a 
horde  of  ferocious,  drunken  brutes. 

At  length  the  hour  of  midnight  drew  near,  and  at 
once  a  score  of  howling,  besotted  devils,  made  a  rush 
for  the  council-house,  and  before  half  a  minute  had 
passed,  Marguret  was  at  the  stake  of  torture. 

From  bis  position  in  the  bushes  Edward  saw  all 
that  was  passing,  and  as  he  thought  how  weak  he  was, 
how  little  he  could  do  to  help  the  beautiful  captive,  he 
groaned  aloud. 

"  I  have  only  a  hatchet,'7  he  said.  "  I  can  do  noth- 
ing. God  help  her  !  There,  she  screams,  they  are 
putting  her  into  the  flames  F 

With  an  infuriated  yell,  two  monster  redskins  sud- 
denly seized  the  fainting  girl,  and  lifting  her  above 
their  heads,  made  a  rush  for  the  burning  pile  as  if  to 
throw  her  in. 

As  the  horror  struck  him,  Edward  held  his  breath, 
but  to  his  surprise  the  two.  savages,  with  the  girl  still 
in  their  arms,  leaped  the  fire  and  bounded  into  the 
darkness  which  lay  beyond. 

At  first  the  savages  were  stupefied,  they  knew  not 
what  to  think,  but  directly  the  truth  dawned  upon 
them.  The  two  stalwart  men  who  had  carried  the  girl 
away  were  palefaces  in  disguise.  But  who  they  were, 
their  names,  the  savages  did  not  know. 

But  it  was  all  the  same  to  Slashaway  and  Onion 
Bob. 

They  were  the  men  I 


SLA8HAW  AY.  THE  FEA&LE3&  85 


\ 

CHAPTER  VIIL 

THE    PURSUIT. 

As  soon  as  tlie  redskins  discovered  the  deception, 
their  rage  knew  no  bounds,  and  as  they  started  in  pur- 
suit, such  a  howling,  cursing,  and  screaming,  Edward 
nor  the  hunters  never  heard  before. 

For  some  minutes  Marguret  was  unconscious. 
Slashaway  and  Onion  Bob  carried  her  a  short  distance 
into  the  darkness,  then  laid  her  on  the  ground,  where 
she  quickly  revived. 

But  even  then  she  did  not  know  where  she  was  nor 
what  had  happened,  she  only  knew  that  some  one  was 
beading   over   her,  and    speaking    kindly    to   her — a 
j  friend. 

4!  Pretty  soon  the  men  lifted  her  up  and  carried  her 
1  to  where  their  horses  were  concealed,  then  mounting 
,  them— Marguret  in  front  of  Slashaway,  the  Fearless— 

the  little  party  rode  swiftly  and  silently  away. 
I      It  was  the  "object  of  the  hunters  to  make  their  way 
etraight  to  the  habitation  ol  Black  Nathan,  which  they 
could  reach,  they  thought,  by  hard  riding,  in  about 
three  hours. 

And  the  time  was  well  calculated.  In  about  an 
hour  tUe  moon  appeared,  the  clouds  drifted  away,  and 


86  SLASH  AWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

in  two  hours  more  the  little  party  of  fugitive*  had 
reached  their  destination. 

But  do  not  think  that  all  this  time  the  redfikins 
were  idle.  On  the  contrary,  they  had  exerted  their 
utmost  to  overtake  the  whites,  and  when  morning 
came,  they  thought  they  almost  as  good  as  had  them 
in  thsir  power. 

As  the  reader  knows,  the  home  of  Black  Nathan 
was  in  the  centre  of  a  lake,  on  an  island  called  Spec* 
tre  Isle.  It  was  a  small  island,  and  from  the  shoie 
looked  more  like  a  huge  boulder  or  a  rocky  ledge 
than  anything  else. 

The  house  was  a  cellar-like  arrangement,  walled  in 
with  stone.  It  was  large,  roomy,  and  very  light  and 
dry,  and  fitted  up  in  a  manner  as  comfortable  as  one 
could  wish.  It  also  commanded  a  good  view  of  the 
lake  in  every  direction. 

As  soon  as  the  fugitives  had  reached  the  island, 
and  were  admitted  into  the  Hermit's  house,  a  confer- 
ence was  held  as  to  what  should  next  be  done. 

It  was  decided  at  last  to  stick  to  the  house,  and  let 
the  savages  take  them  if  they  could. 

"We  kin  lick  'ein,  I  reckon,  t\vo  hundred  uv'em,* 
exclaimed  Onion  Bob,  taming  to  Slashaway  for  an 
approving  word.  "  What  think  ye,  old  uu  ?" 

"We'll  do  the  best  \ve  can  for  'em,"  replied  Slash- 
away,  dryly.  "For  myself  I'd  as  soon  fight  as  not, 
but  Marguret " 

"Don't  worry  about  me,  father/'  interrupted  the 
fair  girl.  "Iain  used  to  bloodshed,  and  can "gtand 
most  anything  now.  But  yon  spoke  of  a  young  man 
named  Edward— where  is  he  ?" 

The  old  hunter's  face  darkened,  but  the  cloud  passed 
away  in  an  instant,  and  he  replied  : 

"  He  is  among  the  redskins,  poor  bo}r.  However, 
I  think  he  is  safe.  Sleeping  Wave  will  take  care  of 
him." 

"  And  who  is  Sleeping  Wave  f  asked  Margiift't, 

"An  old  Indian  witch,"  replied  her  father.  '"  Ed- 
ward once  saved  her  life;  she  will  repa^y  him/' 


SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  87 

'At  tliis  point  Onion  Bob  changed  the  subject  by 
saying  : 

"  I  heerd  a  howl  jist  then,  Slashaway,  a  howl,  an7 
I  reckon  it  war  a  painted  varmint.  Ye  see  it's  day- 
light, an'  the  red  scalawags  'ill  be  'round  pretty  soon, 
thicker'n  thunder." 

The  old  hunter  went  to  the  door  and  looked  out 
over  the  water.  At  first  he  could  see  nothing  but  the 
black,  jungle-like  wood  bordering  the  lake;  a  second 
look,  however,  and  as  many  as  twenty  savage  warriors 
appeared  before  him  on  the  shore. 

"A  savage  crowd/'  said  Black  Nathan,  who, :  at 
that  moment,  was  looking  over  the  hunter's  shoulder. 
"  It  would  do  me  good  to  kill  them  one  by  one  j 
but,"  he  added,  "  they  may  kill  us  !" 

The  hunter  did  not  reply:  he.  was  thinking  whether 
there  was  a  possibility  of  keeping  the  redskins  from 
landing  on  the  island.  "  Ef  we  can  keep  them  from 
landing/' he  said,  "we  may  tire 'em  out;  "but  let 
them  once  get  a  foothold,  and  the  blood  'ill  flow  like 
water — there'll  be  a  thunderin'  fight." 

The  men  lost  no  time  in  making  preparations  for 
the  coming  struggle,  Everything  that  would  aid  the 
redskins  to  gain  a  landing  was  removed,  and  as  many 
obstacles  as  possible  were  thrown  in  their  way. 

Full  of  fight,  and  knowing  that  they  were  powerful 
in  numbers,  while  the  whites  were  but  few,  the  blood- 
thirsty savages  launched  their  boats,  two  in  number, 
and  pushed  boldly  for  the  island,  expecting,  no  doubt, 
to  effect  a  landing  unopposed. 

But  in  this  they  were  mistaken. 

The  whites  bad  their  eyes  upon  them,  and  con- 
cealed, as  they  were,  behind  rocks,  had  every  oppor- 
tunity of  doing  some  bloody  work. 

And  they  did  it.  The  savages,  confident  of  suc- 
cess, pushed  boldly  forward,  and,  as  they  soon  dis- 
covered, right  into  the  jaws  of  death. 

As  they  Reared  the  shore,  Slashaway  and  Onion 
Bob  took  deliberate  aim  at  the  apparent  leaders  o£ 


88  Bit  ASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

the  savage  crowd,  and  sent  two   rifle-balls  crushing 

into  their  skulls. 

;     The  painted  monsters  dropped   like  lead  into  the 

water,  and  the  rest,  seeing   their  leaders  tall,  with 
|  feowls  of  disappointment,  rage,  and  fright,   whirled 
1  their  boats  around,  and  beat  a  precipitate  retreat.          i 
!       Once  out  of  range  they  halted,  and  began  to  wrangle 

among  themselves,  howling,  screeching,  yelling,  then 
i  they  would  shake  their  guns  menacingly  at  the  men 
I  on  the  island,  while  at  the  same  time  they  cursed  and 
'  swore  with  all  their  strength. 
|       But  the  hunters  paid  no  attention  to  their  jeers  and 

fiendish   threats,  they  charged  their   guns,  and  waited 

quietly  for  the  rascals  to  return. 

i      But  the  redskins  had  no  intention  of  making  any 

more  reckless  advances,  the  murderous  skill  of  the 
i  whites  had  taught  them  that  a  little  prudence  in  the 
i  way  they  managed  things  would  not  be  out  of  place. 
!  "  They  won't  disturb  us  just  at  present,"  remarked 

Slashaway,  as  the  savages  moved  toward  the  shore. 
<  «  I  wouldn't  wonder  if  we  didn't  see  'em  agin  to-day, 

but  to-night  we'll  catch  it." 

And   the   hunter    was   not    far   frora    right-     The 

savages   stationed  themselves  on    the  shore   in  plain 
I  view  of  the  whites,  and  for  several  hours  not  an  ag- 
gressive move  was  made  by  either  party. 
i       And  so  the    day  wore    on,  night   came  at   last,  the 
i  moon  and  stars  took  their  places  in  the  sky,  and  for  a 

time  silence  reigned  supreme. 

At  length  Slashaway,  whose  watchfulness  never 
I  left  him,  discerned  a  movement  among  the  redskins 
i  that  aroused  his  suspicions. 

About  a  dozen  painted  rascals  were  seen  to  cross  the 
;  lake  and  move  up  within  a  short  distance  of  the  island, 
|  while  the  remaining  savages  drifted  to  about  the  same 

distance  on  the  opposite  side. 

But  the  movement,  though  good  enough,  was  plain 

enough  to  the  hunters. 

Evidently  it  was  the  intention  of  the  redskins  to  try 

4o  effect  a  landing  at  two  distinct  points,  which,  k»*w- 


SLASIIAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  89 

ing  the  strength  of  the  fugitives,  they  thought  they 
could  accomplish  with  ease. 

With  courage  that  never  flinched,  firm,  resolute,  de- 
termined, the  two  hunters  assisted  by  Black  Nathan, 
constructed  a  rude  breastwork  near  the  house,  and 
stationing  themselves  so  as  to  obtain  a  good  view  of 
the  water  on  either  side  of  them,  watched  and  waited 
the  approach  of  their  savage  foes. 

It  was  a  moment  of  extreme  peril  to  the  hunters. 
They  had  little  hopes  of  driving  the  redskins  back. 

"  We'll  do  the  best  we  kin,  fellers/'  said  Onion 
Bob,  "  but  ten  chances  tu  one  they'll  drive  us  inter  the 
house.  What  do  ye  conclude,  SI  ash  a  way  ?" 

The  hunter  answered  by  pointing  his  rifle  at  the 
redskins,  and  nodding  significantly. 

Onion  Bob  and  Black  Nathan  understood  L-isn,  and 
cast  their  eyes  upon  the  savages,  whom  they  saw  were 
now  within  easy  rifle  range. 

"  Shall  we  let  drive  at  'em  V  whispered  the  negro, 
as  he  cocked  his  rifle.  "  I'm  anxious  to  spill  a  little 
blood." 

"  An*  so  am  I,"  rejoined  Onion  Bob. 

"  Then  go  in  lw  exclaimed  Slashawayj  bringing  his 
rifle  to  a  dead  aim  ou  one  of  the  redskins.  "  One,  two, 
three,  fire  !» 


90  8LASEAW AY.  THit  FEARLESS* 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  men  selected  their  game,  and  almost  stauil- 
sJy  three  reports,  keen  and  startling,  rang  out 
on  the  air,  and  three  dusky  savages,  with*  agamxiog1 
screams,  threw  up  their  hands',  and  i'eli  headlocg  into 
the  water. 

At  first  the  savages,  seeing  their  comrades  foil, 
tarned  as  if  u>  retreat,  but  their  hesitation  was  b&fc 
momentary;  with  howls,  yeJls,  and  screftms, -'tfafey 
pushed  i>>r  the  shore,  while  at  the  same  time  they  sent 
&  volley  of  rifle  balls  in  among  the  locks  which  con- 
cealed our  friends. 

A  haud-to-hand  conflict  was  imminent.  The  men 
did  not  have  time  to  reload  their  guns,  but  fortunately, 
Slasbaway  carried  a  revolver,  Onion  Bob  a  keen -edged 
batchet,  and  the  negro  a  long,  glittering  knife. 

Yelling,  screaming,  howling,  shouting,  tfce  savage* 
advanced ;  they  were  determined,  they  were  tall  of 
fight,  and  ready  for  acy  deed  oi  tiood  however 
atrocious.  » 

The  men  waited  a  moment  to  let  the  redskins  get  a 
little  nearer,  then  springing  to  their  feet,  wito  load 
and  startling  yells,  rushed  upon  them  Just  as  the/  *ere 
leaving  their  boats. 

Ofiioo  Bob  and  the  negro  made  a  rush  for  the  boat 


SLASH  A  WAY,  THE  FEARLESSL  01 

nonrest  the  shore,  while  Slashaway  started  for.  the 
other,  and  be  used  his  revolver  with  terrible  .effect. 
Six  shots  in  quick  succession  fell  on  the  savages, 
sending  four  of  thein  to  their  long  homes,  and  wound- 
a  .fifth.  The  others  replied  with  their  rifles,  then, 
turning  with  wild  yells  of  rage  and  disappoiiifment> 
rowed  rapidly  away. 

But  it  was  different  with  Black  Nathan  and  Onion 
Bob.  They  met  the  redskins  just  as  they  were  leav- 
ing their  boat,  and  waiting  not  a  moment,  pitched  into 
them  with  all  the  fury  they  could  command. 

Then  a  terrible  hand-to-hand  conflict  ensued. 

Whirling  his  hatchet  above  his  head,  the  hunter 
struck  right  and  left,  and,  for  a  moment,  the  way  the 
blood  flowed,  the  brains  scattered,  it  seemed  that  ho 
would  vanquish  them  alone. 

But  the  savages  were  resolute,  and  with  tomahawk 
and  Bcalping-knife,  pressed  around  the  men,  howling 
like  demons  let  loose. 

Black  Nathan  opened  his  part  of  the  fight  by 
plunging  his  long-l>laded  knife  into  a  redskin's 
breast  ;  then  clubbing  his  rifle,  he  gave  a  mad  whoop, 
and  rushed  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  where  he 
dealt  out  vengeance  right  and  left. 

Pretty  soon  a  blow  from  a  tomahawk  felled  him,  to 
the  earth.  Then  the  whole  eavajro  crowd  tamed  oa 
Onion  Bob,  and  but  for  the  sudden  arrival  of  Slash- 
away  on  the  scene,  would  have  killed  him,  and  torn 
him  liuib  from  limb. 

The  old  hunter  came  up  with  a  rush,  and  seizing  a 
tomahawk  from  the  hands  of  a  fallen  redskin,  knocked 
two  savage  monsters  to  the  ground  at  a  single  blow* 
Then,  seeing  that  defeat  was  certain,  he  cried  outs 

41  Boys,  run  for  your  lives  I  to  the  house!,  to  .the 
" 


The  men  obeyed,  Black  Nathan  bringing  up  the 
vear,  and  just  as  the  house  was  reached,  Margaret 
«wimg  open  the  door,  and  the  tired  and  blood-alained 
vrtcn  rushed  within. 

Not  ten  second*  behiad,  the  savages  thundered  up, 


02  SLASH  AWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

but  the  door  was   fastened,  barricaded  from    fvithia, 
and  for  a  time  the  fugitives  were  safe. 

The  men  were  all  more  or  less  injured.  Sla^hawar 
was  badly  wounded  in  the  arm(  Onion  Bob's  face  was 
covered  with  blood,  while  Black  Nathan  received  a 
concussion  on  the  head  that  almost  killed  him. 

Just  how  many  redskins  were  killed  the  hunters 
could  not  tell  j  probably  a  dozen,  maybe  more  j  any- 
Low,  not  enough  to  frighten  tho  rest  asvay. 

"  They    fought    like    devils,   the    redskins,"   said 
Slashaway,  as  Marguret  bandaged  his  wounded  arm.  . 
(t  But  the  worst  is  to  come.     How  are  we  to  get  out  o* 
tins  trap    without    being    picked  off  like   squirrels? 
We  can  do  nothing  but  sit  still  and  starve  /" 

"Which  ain't  my  style,"  quickly  rejoined  Onion 
Bob.  wiping  the  blood  from  his  lace.  "  I'm  goiir*  ter 
fight!" 

But  as  he  said  this  he  turned  pale,  and  shaking  his 
powder  flask,  which  was  empty,  looked  at  Slashaway, 
and  inquired  : 
i     "  Ammunition- — hev  ye  got  any  ?" 

The  reply  startled  Onion  Bob  as  he  was  never  star- 
tled before.  The  hunter  said  : 

11 1  left  everything  outside— my  rifle,  powder  flask, 
and  all !  I  have  nothing,  and  Black  Nathan  is  no 
better  off.  There  isn't  a  charge  of  powder  in  the 
house !" 

Onion  Bob  sank  in  one  corner  of  the  room  perfectly 
helpless.  In  a  second  he  muttered  between  his 
teeth : 

"We're  done  fer,  we're   busted!     Good-bye!    The! 
red  bucks  i'll  gobble  us  up  now  fer  sure  1" 

And   there  was   reason   enough  for  the  hunter  to \ 
think  so. 

The  savages  were  howling  around  the  house,  clam-  j 
bering  over  it,  pulling  at  the  stones,  and  trying  ©very 
way  to  tear  it  down. 

Then  they  tried  to  burst  down  the  door,  but  it  was 
of  oak,  and  withstood  the  shock. 

In  this  way  they  worked  until  near  morning,  when 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS  93 

tney  succeeded  in  making  a  hole  in  the  roof  of  the 
bouse,  large  enough  to  admit  the  body  of  a  man. 

But  none  of  the  redskins  cared  to  venture  in,  nor 
did  they  enter,  but  instead  carried  great  quantities  of 
smoking  coals,  which  they  scattered  in  as  promiscu- 
ously as  they  could. 

"  Ef  they  can't  kill  us  one  way  they  can  another/1 
said  Slashaway,  as  he  saw  what  the  redskins  were 
about.  "  Might v 1  the  smoke  is  almost  suffocating 
a'ready." 

Howling,  screaming,  yelling,  the  painted  devils 
worked  like  beavers  j  burning,  smoking  faggots  with- 
out number  were  tossed  in,  and  heaps  of  smouldering 
coals  were  showered  down  on  the  now  frantic  pris- 
oners. 

What  conld  be  done?  They  were  dying  by  inches, 
Five  minutes  more  and  they  would  be  suffocated.  But 
to  open  the  door  would  be  instant  death.  The  sav- 
ages would  shoot  them  down  without  mercy. 

At  length  Marguret,  who  ull  along  had  said  noth- 
ing, now  spoke  up. 

"Let  us  burst  down  the  door,  and  be  killed  at 
once,"  she  said.  "This  is  agony  j  I  can  stand  it  no 
longer." 

Slashaway  clasped  his  daughter  to  his  bosom,  and 
groaned  aloud  Then  he  started  up  with  a  sudden 
exclamation,  and  cried  out : 

"Listen!  I  hear  the  cracking  of  rifles*  The  red- 
skins are  running  away.  We  are  saved  1" 

A  chorus  of  yells,  this  time  not  of  savages,  but  of 
whites,  burst  out  upon  the  air,  and  breaking  down  the 
door,  the  men  saw  coming  straight  toward  them  a 
dozen  stalwart  fellows,  headed  by  no  less  a  personage 
than  Edward  Hale. 

"  Saved  !  saved  V  cried  the  fugitives,  in  one  voice. 
*  Taank  God  !  we  are  saved  !" 

The  trappers,  for  such  they  proved  to  be,  gathered 
around  Marguret  and  the  rest,  and  in  their  rough  way 
joined  with  them  in  thanking  God  for  their  escape. 

Then  Edward  Hale  told  his  story. 


8LASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS. 

old  witch  spirited  me  away/'  he  said,  u  gave 
me  a  good  horse,  and  started  me  in  the  rig-lit  direction* 
Last,  evening  I  met  these  men,  and  I  traveled  with 
them-  awhile,  when  wo  run  against  a  wounded  redskin, 
who  gave  us  intimation  of  what  was  going  on.  And 
didn't  we  eome  here  in  a  hurry?  I  guess  we  did, 
we  got  here  none  too  soon.  The  painted  brutes  w 


were 


doing  their  best  to  kill  you;  but  it's  over  now,  and 
yon  aro  safo." 

"With  most  of  the  trappers  Onion  Bob  and  Slash- 
away  were  acquainted,  and  for  a  time  the  questions 
and  answers  that  passed  between  them  were  numerous, 
but  the  question  that  principally  concerned  Margaret 
and  Edward  was  asked  by  the  hunter,  Onion  Bob.  Ik 
was  tins: 

"  Will  ye  help  us  git  the  gal  an?  the  young  feller 
tu  the  nisbcst  settlement—  will  ye  chaps  go  in  fer  t?j 
fcelpus!" 

And  the  trappers  said  they  would. 

And  they  did. 


What  happened  nest  we  can  soon  relate.  The  red- 
skins did  not  think  it  to  their  advantage  to  attack  so 
large  a  party,  so  our  friends  safely  reached  their  des- 
ttaation. 

On  the  way  Marguret  and  Edward  became  very 
well  acquainted,  and  a  mutual  attachment  sprang  tip. 

By  the  advice  of  Edward,  Marguret  was  returned  to 
school,  where  the  young  man  visited  her 
In  a  year's  time  they  were  married. 


SLASHAWAY,  THE  FEARLESS.  to 

For  a  time  Slashaway  lived  with  them,  bat  he  soon 
tired  of  the  restraints  of  civilization  and  went  hack  to 
fcie  traps  and  guns.  As  for  Onion  Bob  and  the  negro, 
they  live  together  on  the  island  so  sveli  known  to  our 
readers  as  Spectre  Isle,  and  tbree  mc»ths  out  of  evoty 
year,  Slashaway,  the  Fearless,  is  with  them,  and  defy* 
the  redskins,  they  hunt  and  fish  at 
40  we  bid  them 


The  Long  Lost  Friend, 


X  CONTAINING  X 

HGIIEM.X 


0>F  THS— — 


Wonderful 

ANO 

Valuable- 


.Arts  and  Remedies  for  Man  as  well  as 
Animals  ever  Discovered 

For  Hundreds  of  years,  -with  raany  proofs  of  their  virtue 
and  efficacy  in  Healing  Diseases,  &c. 

The  greater  part  of  which  was  never  published  until  thay  appeared 
in,  print,  for  the  first  time  in  the  Unit edBtates,  in  the  year  1830,  by  the 
celebrated  Author  and  if  ecromnncert  John  George  Hoiiiaan,  who  claims 
that  whosoever  carries  this  little  book  with  him  ia  safa  from  all  his 
eneroiea,  visible  or  invisible,  and  whosoever  has  this  book  with  him  can- 
not die  without  Holy  Corps  of  Jesus  Christ ;  nor  drown  in  any  water: 
nor  burn  in  any  fire ;  nor  can  unjust  sentences  be  passed  upou  him.  I 
will  name  a  few  of  the  contents  of  this  rare  work : 

How  to  Compel  a  Thief  to  Eetu:a  Stolen  Things;    How  to 
Extinguish  Fire  Without  Water;    How  to  Stop  blood; 
j  How  to  Besferoy  Witches;   How  to  Find  all  kinds  o; 
Petals;  To  Bankh  all  Kinds  of  Pain;  To  Compel  a 
Thief  to  Stand  Still;  How  to  Fasten  or  spellbind  any- 
thing; And  many  rare  and  valuable  secrete  never  be- 
fore disclosed. 

This  book  contains  ,"£  pages  (in  English  or  German 
to  tny  part  of  tto  world,  under  doubu>-eeru6d  wrappers. 


y  part  of  the  wor 
;.tftfee  copies  for 


TOTHERSADSRo 


%  !a  tfie  ADVENTURE  SEST*£  *  as 
the  absolutely  true  and  authentic 
I  feory  of  the  lives  and  exploits  of  tha 
JAMES  BOYS, 

YOUNGER  BROTHERS, 

HARRY  TRACY, 
(THE  DALTON  GANG, 

RUBE  BURROW, 
5  ether  Notorious  Outlaws  el 
Far  West 


We  are  tSie  authorised  and  exclusive 
lishers  for  Jesse  James'  only  son, 
JESSE  JAMES,  JR., 
atd  are  the  publishers  of  his  great 

Jesse  James,  My  Father 

which  is  for  sale  everywhere.  Buy  it 
you  bought  tkis  book,  and  rsad  tk« 
history  cf  the  life  af  Jssse 


asEesoE^  :: 


P[  Ibetrltis  ffj  aj*  ±j  (is 

Being  the  Approved,  Verified,  Bympathetic  and  Natuntf 


,     .^ 

orj  'Wnitfc  and  Black  Art  for  Man  and  Beast/  The  Book  of 

Mature  and  Hidden  Secrets  and  Mysteries  of  Life  Ua- 

led,  being  the  Forbidden  Knowledge  of 

&ent  Philosophers,  by  the  Celebrated  Stofr 

dent,  -Philosopher,'  Cheniist,  Etc. 


rifig^cf  iia*Bt» 

which  was  Great,  was  a  native  of  Suabia^  and  born  in  1215.  He  was  M» 
deatly  desirous  of  acquiring  knowledge,  find  studied  T>ith  assiduity; 
but  being  of  Blow  comprehension,  his  progress  -was  not  adequate  to  hia 
expectafeonSj  and.  theref  ore*  in  despair,  he  resolved  to  relinquish  books, 
and  bury  himself  in  retirement.  One  night,  however,  he  jaw  the^vision 
of  a  beautiful  woman,  who  accosted  him,  and  inquired  the  cause  of  hi* 
grief.  He  replied  that  in  epite  of  all  his  efforts  to  eequiro  in*  orzna  * 
hef  eared  h^should  always  remain  ignorant.  rHave  yott&o  little 
replied  the  lady,  "as  to  suppose  that  you*  prayers  \villnoi  obtain 
you  cannot  of  yourself  accomplish?"  The  young  man  prostrated 
self  at  her  feet,  and  ehe  promised  ail  that  he  desired,  but  added  that  aa 
he  preferred  philosophy  to  theology,  he  should  lose  his  faculties  before 
hia  deaths  Kh&  then  disappeared  and  the  prediction  was  accomplished. 
Albertus  liecamer  ctnwilhngly9  Bishop  of  Rati'sbor^but  lie  relinquished 
the  See  within  three  years,  and  resided  chiefly  at  Cologne,  where  he 
produced  macywonaerfulworkSp  It  was  said  that  he  constructed  an 
automaton  which  feoth  walked  and  spoke,  answered  questionsandBolved 


the  flames.  .,  when  William,  Court  of  Hollands  and  King  of  the 


was  at  Cologne,  Albert*s  invited  him  to  a  banquet,  and  promised 
his  table  should  be  laid  out  in  the  middle  of  his  garden,  although  it 
thea  Winter,  and  severe  weather,  William  accepted  the  Invita 
and  on  arriving  at  the  house  of  Albertus,  was  surprised  to&nd  the  tem- 
perature of.  the  air  aa  mild  as  io  summer^  and  the  banquet  laid  out  in  aa 
arbor  formed  of  trees  and  shrubs  covered  with  leaves  and-  flowers,  ex- 
haling the  aaost  delicious  odors,  which  filled  the  whole  of  the  garden, 
Albertus.  was  reputed  a  magician,  but  nevertheless,  after 
vrhichvoccnrred  in  1293,  In  his  e©venty%ove 

Jiff*'  EXTRAORDIMMRY  WORK 


•omettmes  called  the  gfeat  «<Pow-'Wbw  or  Magic  Cure  Book,"  is  ield  by 
thousands  to  be  the  cmy  sure  means  to  & void  sickness  in  their  families; 
to  make  them  fortunate  in  their.crops  and  etoek  raising,  and  p 
in  all  their  undertakings,,  enabling  them  to  acquire  wealthy 
their  friends  and 


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Hand  Books. 


AND  SEVENTH  BOOK 

HUNDRED  RECEIPTS, 
EGYPTIAN  SECRETS, 
SJLAIRVOYANCY* 
POW  TO  WIN  AT  DRAW 
ASTROLOGY. 

STANDARD  LETTER  WRITER 
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Arthur  Westbrack 

awr,  St.,  P-,  E 


I 


BEADLE'S    FRONTIER    SERIES 


1.  The  Shawnee's  Foe. 

2.  The  Young  Mocntaineer. 

3.  Wild  Jim. 

4.  Hawk-Bye,  the  Hunter. 

5.  The  Boy  Guide. 

6.  War  Tiger  of  the  Modocs 

7.  The  Red  Modocs. 

8.  Iron   Hand. 

9.  Shadow  Bill,  the  Scout. 

10.  Wapawkaneta,     or     the 

Rangers  of  the  Oneida. 

11.  Davy      Crockett's      Boy 

Hunter. 

12.  The  For  CM  t  Avenger. 

13.  Old      .lack's      Frontier 

Cabin. 

14.  On  the  Deep. 

15.  Sharp  Snout. 

16.  The  Mountain  Demon. 

17.  Wild  Tom  of  Wyoming. 

18.  The  Brave  Boy  Hunters 

of  Kentucky. 

19.  The  Fearless  Ranger. 

20.  The  Haunted  Trapper. 

21.  Uladman  of  the  Colorado. 

22.  The  Panther  Demon. 

23.  Slashaway,  the  Fearless. 

24.  Pine   Tree   Jack. 

25.  Indian  Jim. 

26.  Navajo  Nick. 

27.  The  Tuscarora's  Vow. 

28.  Deadvtood  Dick,  Jr. 

29.  A  New  York  Boy  Among 

the  Indians. 

30.  Deadwood      Dick's      Big 

Deal. 

31.  Honk,  the  Guide. 

32.  Deadwood  Dick's  Doxen. 

33.  Squatty  Dick. 

34.  The  Hunter's  Secret. 

35.  The  Woman  Trapper. 

36.  The  Chief  of  the  Miami. 

37.  Gunpowder  Jim. 

38.  Mad  Anthony's  Captain. 

39.  The  Ranger  Boy's  Career. 

40.  Old  Nick  of  the  Swamp. 

41.  The   Shadow  Scout. 

42.  Lantern-Jawed  Boh. 

43.  The  Masked  Hunter. 

44.  Brimstone  Jake. 

45.  The  Irish  Hunter. 

46.  Dave  Bunker. 

47.  The  Shawnee  Witch. 

48.  Big  Brave. 

49.  Spider-Legs. 


50.  Harry  Hardskull. 

51.  Madman  of  the  Oconto. 

52.  Slim   Jim. 

53.  Tiger -Eye. 

54.  The    Red    Star    of    the 

Seminoles. 

55.  Trapper  Joe. 

56.  The       Indian       Queen's 

Revenge. 

57.  Eagle-Eyed  Zeke. 

58.  Scar-Cheek,     the     Wild 

Half-Breed. 

59.  Red  Men  of  the  Woods. 

60.  Tuscaloosa  Sam. 

61.  The  Bully  of  the  Wood*. 

62.  The  Trapper's  Bride. 

63.  Red     Rattlesnake,     The 

Pawnee. 

64.  The  Scout  of  Tippecanoe 

65.  Old  Kit,  The  Scout. 

66.  The  Boy  Scouts. 

67.  Hiding  Tom. 

68.  Roving  Dick,  Hunter. 

69.  Hickory  Jack. 

70.  Mad  Mike. 

71.  Snake-Bye. 

72.  Big- Hear  ted  Joe. 

73.  The  Blazing  Arrow. 

74.  The  Hunter   Scouts. 

75.  The   Scout  of  Long  Island. 

76.  Turkey-Foot. 

77.  The   Death  Rangers. 

78.  Bullet  Head. 

79.  The   Indian   Spirit. 

80.  The  Twin   Trappers. 

81.  Light  foot   the   Scout. 

82.  Grim   Dick. 

83.  The    Wooden-Legged   Spy. 

84.  The   Silent  Trapper. 

85.  Ugly    Ike. 

86.  Fire   Cloud. 

87.  Hank  Jasper. 

88.  The  Scout  of  the  Sciota. 

89.  Black   Samson. 

90.  Billy    Bowlegs. 

91.  The    Bloody    Footprint. 

92.  Marksman    the   Hunter. 

93.  The   Demon    Cruiser. 

94.  Hunters   and   Redskins. 

95.  Panther  Jack. 

96.  Old   Zeke. 

97.  The    Panther    Paleface. 

98.  The  Scout  of  the  St.  Lawrem 

99.  Bloody  Brook. 

100.  Long  Bob  of  Kentucky. 


THE  ARTHUR  WESTBROOK  CO.   Cleveland,  U.S.A. 


